INTRODUCTION
This is the first formal and comprehensive guide to primary source material relating to the history and culture of lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgendered (LBGT) 1  people held by repositories in North America. The Society of American Archivists' Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable (LAGAR) 2  is publishing this directory in response to the growing interest in LBGT history by community and academic researchers, demand for material by publishers, the need to identify responsive archives during a time of many deaths of early community activists, and our desire to participate in the effort to ensure preservation and access to the materials that document our contributions to society. Making the information in this guide widely and easily accessible will facilitate the continued study of the history and culture of a marginalized people traditionally ignored and sometimes deliberately hidden from researchers by mainstream institutions.
While some of the repositories in this guide summarize their holdings in international online databases, others appear here for the first time in the context of other archival institutions. Based on answers collected from a written survey, the guide covers all types of repositories ranging from small community archives to large institutional archives, from collections growing in people's homes to well-established manuscript repositories. The guide includes not only verified contact information, but also the scope and accessibility of each institution's holdings. In addition, the guide includes specific information about most repositories' collecting policies. People with documents who would like to contribute to the historical record (potential donors) may read the guide to find an appropriate place to offer material. We encourage people who know about records that should be saved to contact archivists at the repositories described in this directory and to work with them to find a good archival home.
We hope this guide will encourage archivists to increase attention to and cooperation in building LBGT collections and that ultimately the guide and other LAGAR activities will promote better documentation, preservation, and access to LBGT history. Some archivists and community groups are beginning to realize that sources for studying LBGT lives are far from scarce and, in fact, are potentially overwhelming in volume. It is clear that no single repository could take responsibility for this heritage. For those archives that specialize in documenting LBGT lives or special collections and manuscript repositories that make this one of their priorities, it is increasingly important to define collecting parameters. We hope people starting new LBGT collecting efforts will consciously choose aspects of LBGT lives that are currently under-documented or not covered by other organizations' collecting policies. This guide is a good starting point for discovering what colleagues are collecting or intend to collect.
LAGAR encourages all archival repositories to document LBGT issues that relate to their existing collections and mission. All college and university archives, for instance, should document their LBGT student, staff and faculty groups and movements to extend employee benefits to domestic partners. State and local archives should document LBGT people and organizations in their region. Manuscript repositories should collect papers and records of LBGT people and organizations relevant to the scope of their collections. The archives of professional groups should include the records of their LBGT caucuses. Religious archives should include evidence of their views on sexuality and record the activities and issues brought up by their LBGT members. LAGAR supports broad-based interest in and involvement in LBGT history.
We hope that this guide will also encourage archivists to rethink how they make LBGT material accessible. Could someone doing research on a LBGT topic find all potentially useful collections by using the repository's regular access tools? Are there enough topical headings used to point to these collections, and are those headings adequate? If existing finding aids are insufficient, are there supplementary guides that include pointers to LBGT material? LAGAR is committed to ensuring that access to LBGT collections does not rely on hearsay or on one friendly staff member's knowledge. We hope traditional repositories continue to make progress toward providing reasonable access to LBGT collections and that professional archivists continue to help community archives establish archival preservation and access practices.
 

Scope
Although we assume that almost every repository in North America has some lesbian and gay material, this guide describes significant collections, as well as repositories that focus exclusively on collecting LBGT material. For the purposes of the survey, the term "significant" refers to collections containing significant LBGT subject content, not just the papers of an individual who is known to be gay. This information was included in the letter ( Appendix A ) that accompanied the survey. Respondents were left to judge the significance of their own collections; we provided no further guidance.
The LAGAR Directory Committee limited the survey to non-circulating collections. Most of the entries relate only to unique, primary source materials (i.e. original documents including letters, minutes, journals, photographs, etc., from individuals and organizations). Collections of ephemera (flyers, posters, and objects generally not created for a long life) and substantive non-circulating book collections were also included.
The 56 repositories listed in this directory include community-based and state historical societies, religious archives, college and university libraries, and public libraries. Some of the repositories focus solely on collecting LBGT materials; for others this is only one facet of a much broader collecting policy. Some of the repositories have extensive facilities and services, while others are quite small and may not have research rooms or copying facilities. In order to be included in the guide, however, there must be provisions for researcher access. Collections that are known to exist but are inaccessible to researchers are not included.
Considerable effort has been made to assure the accuracy and completeness of each repository entry. Because the data is subject to change and many repositories operate on volunteer help or small staffs, please call or write before visiting to verify hours and the availability of collections. When writing or calling with a reference inquiry, please give the repository as much lead time as possible.
 

Methodology
In the spring of 1996, the LAGAR Directory Committee members made introductory telephone calls to each repository that appeared on a preliminary list. During that summer and fall, project members sent a survey (see Appendix A ) to each of approximately 140 repositories that still existed and continued to hold or collect LBGT materials. During the spring of 1997, we entered records into a database and followed up with those repositories that did not return the initial survey. Repositories that were defunct, or that did not respond to the survey or follow-up phone calls are not included in the guide. Based upon the response to our survey, those repositories that did not fall within the scope of the guide as outlined above were omitted.
 

Arrangement
Entries in the guide are arranged geographically, first by country and then alphabetically by province or state. Within a given state or province, entries are arranged alphabetically by institution name. Each entry begins with basic information about the repository, including location, mailing address, contact information, internet addresses/URLs, hours of operation, and wheelchair accessibility. This general information is followed by a brief history of the repository and information about its LBGT holdings.
Because survey respondents were given the option of summarizing or itemizing collections, the guide uses two different formats for displaying collection information. The "Information about Holdings" section contains data about the size of a repository's holdings, listed by type of material (manuscripts, organizational records, ephemera, etc.). Within each category the amount of LBGT material is noted, either in number of items or in the number of linear feet of shelf space it fills (abbreviated simply as "ft."). These quantities are followed by specific information under the headings "Time periods/geographical regions documented" and "Significant people/organizations/subjects documented." Some repositories elected to provide a "Holdings Summary" instead of using the categories just described. This summary consists of a few paragraphs that outline the repository's LBGT holdings and include information about the amount, time periods and topics covered, and significant people documented by LBGT material in the listed collections.
The survey asked whether organizations were willing and able to accept curatorial responsibility for additional materials. For those that answered in the affirmative, the guide contains a "collecting interests" section with information about the repository's collecting policies or goals. Under "Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions," some repositories noted they put "MARC" records in databases. MARC is the name of a database record format that is used by national and international online catalogs such as OCLC (Online Computer Library Catalog), which is available at many public libraries, and RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network), which is available in many university libraries. Other repositories noted they describe their holdings in NUCMC (the National Union Catalog for Manuscript Collections), which is available at many libraries. New NUCMC descriptions appear on the web ( http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/ ). Finally, each LAGAR guide entry includes sections detailing use requirements, services available, and how news about holdings is announced.
In the event that a repository left a survey question blank and follow-up calls to the repository were unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary information, the corresponding section in repository's guide entry was omitted. Thus, the lack of a particular section in an entry, such as "services," may indicate that a repository does not offer any services, or it may indicate that the repository did not respond to that survey question.
In a few cases, supplementary information was added by a LAGAR member. These comments appear in the text within square brackets. We made no attempt to standardize the terms repositories used to label LBGT material.
 

Updates
This guide represents only a small portion of the documentary resources in repositories that document LBGT communities in North America. LAGAR's intention is to update this guide as the need arises when additional resources become available or are reported to us. We hope that the publication of this guide in printed and online versions creates an opportunity to develop an improved guide for the future. Please send new and updated information to LAGAR, c/o Human Sexuality Collection, RMC, 2B Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5302. In addition, check the LAGAR web site, available via the SAA home page under "units" or "sections and roundtables," for the online guide and additional information ( http://www.archivists.org ).
 

History and Acknowledgments
The compilation of this guide was aided by several earlier attempts to collect data about LBGT collections. Elizabeth Knowlton's groundbreaking survey, reported in her article "Documenting the Gay Rights Movement" (Provenance, Society of Georgia Archivists, v. 5, no. 1, 1987), was the first serious effort to locate resources in mainstream archives and publicize them. The International Association of Lesbian and Gay Archives and Libraries (IALGAL) produced a list in 1987 that included many of the community-run lesbian and gay history projects. Since numerous community-organized initiatives to preserve lesbian and gay history were short-lived or changed addresses, just keeping track of them continues to be a challenge. In recent years, a number of individuals and organizations have mounted lists of LBGT archives on the web and have attempted to keep the contact information current. 3
The directory project was suggested at the first informal meeting of the Roundtable in Atlanta in 1988. Its successful completion is truly a credit to the creativity and tenacity of many individuals. The LAGAR Directory Committee would first like to thank long-time LAGAR member Douglas Haller for his solitary effort in keeping the informal list updated and available to the committee. This document served as a crucial foundation for the project. A number of other LAGAR members and LAGAR co-chairs contributed their energies and leadership over time. Those people include: Steven Wheeler, Deborah Shelby, Stephen Nonack, Scott Andrew Bartley, Brenda Marston, Brent Sverdloff, Mark Martin, and Paula Jabloner. We appreciate both the form and focus that Brenda Marston, LAGAR Co-Chair 1991-1995, gave us. She organized a strategy session in 1994 that resulted in LAGAR mobilizing to work on the directory as our first priority, and she formed the committee structure that contributed to our successful completion of the project. Our sincere thanks to Kim Brookes who took up the reins as Directory Committee chair in 1996. She created the database for entering survey results, kept track of the project overall, and masterfully kept the committee members, from Boston to Honolulu, focused on our tasks. We must also tip our hats to electronic mail, whose widespread use greatly facilitated collaborative work among the members spread so far apart.
This guide is being distributed thanks to the administrative support of the Society of American Archivists. We would like to thank the following institutions for production support: Cornell University (Rare and Manuscript Collections, and the LBG Studies Program), the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California, Salem State College (Massachusetts), and T.L.L. Temple Memorial Library Archives. We greatly appreciate their support of our work to bring LBGT historical sources to the attention of a wide audience. We extend our thanks to Jeff Sitzlar for designing the cover for this guide.
Finally, we thank all the archivists and activists involved in preserving the documents of LBGT history. Too many LBGT people have been separated from their history. Too many graduate students have been discouraged by advisors saying there are not adequate sources for the study of LBGT history. Too many histories written have been incomplete, missing the perspective that could have been offered by the sources described in this guide. Our deepest thanks go to all the people who have played a role in preserving our rich and varied lavender legacies

Members of the Directory Committee, 1996-1998
Kim Brookes, Scott Andrew Bartley, Mimi Bowling, James Cartwright,
John Paul Deley, Susan Edwards, Paula Jabloner, Brenda Marston,
Mark Martin, Stephen Novack, Nancy Richard,
Susan von Salis, Rich Wandel
 

1 The abbreviation LBGT is used as an inclusive term meaning lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgendered and others who breach socially sanctioned boundaries of gender or sexuality. Our historical concern embraces bisexuality, cross-dressing, transsexuality, homosexuality, and other such sexual and affectional interests, whether self-identified or not. We expect lesbians and gay men to continue their long tradition of self-labeling, and we are and will be interested in the history of bulldykes, queens, gay women, lesbian feminists, faeries, queers, and people with identities we have not heard of yet.

2 LAGAR was formed in 1989 by Society of American Archivists members concerned about the recovery, preservation, and understanding of the history of lesbians, gay men, and their institutions.

3 As of March 1999, several sites that do this are: Lesbian History Project  (http://www-lib.usc.edu/~retter/main.html ); and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives  (http://www.clga.ca/archives ).
 



CANADA
 

NOVA SCOTIA
 

Public Archives of Nova Scotia
Location: 6016 University Avenue
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada B3H 1W4
Phone: (902) 424-6060 Fax: (902) 424-0628
Contact: Lois K. Yorke, Head Mss. Division
Hours: Tue, Thu, Fri: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm; Wed: 8:30 am - 9:30 pm; Sat: 9 am-5 pm; Sun: 1-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Established by Provincial statute in 1989; intermittent collecting from earlier years.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Nova Scotia, 1970 to present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Gay Alliance for Equality (GAE), Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA); Gaiezette Newspaper.
Collecting interests
All media (except three-dimensional) concerning organizations or individuals related to Nova Scotia.
Use requirements
Open, except for holdings governed by Freedom of Information/Protection of Privacy Legislation.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, and telephone reference.

Other services/notes:
Written inquiry service.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
In-house catalogs and finding aids.
News about collections
Annual report includes news of acquisitions.
 
 

QUEBEC
 

Archives Gaies du Quebec
Location: 4067 boul. St-Laurent, suite 202
Montreal, QC H2W 1Y7
Address: C.P. 395, succursale Place du Parc
Montreal, QC H2W 2N9
Phone: (514) 287-9987
Contact: J. Prince
Email: c2220@er.ugam.ca
Internet address:   http://www.cglbrd.com/entries/215.html
Hours: Thu: 7:30-9:30 pm and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
AGQ was founded in 1983 by Ross Higgins and Jacques Prince. The aims of the AGQ are to conserve, process and provide access to documents related to homosexuality and sexuality in general. While our collections are world-wide in scope, our primary focus is on material concerning lesbians and gays in Quebec. It is not associated with any other institution or organization.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 25+ collections
Organizational records: 15+ collections
Printed material: 600 books; 1000 periodical titles (300 ft.)
Clippings/vertical files: 8 ft. (500 vertical files)
Objects/ephemera: ca.500 items
Film/Video/Sound: 60 8 mm films, 30 videos, 200 sound tapes
Photographs: 40,000
Other holdings/notes: 2000 posters

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Quebec and world wide since 1869, but the overwhelming majority of the collection is post-WW II.
Collecting interests
In any time period concerning queer history of Quebec. Kinds of materials: books, news clippings, magazine articles, periodicals, newsletters, pamphlets, flyers, etc.; archives of gay groups (minutes and other internal documents) and personal papers (student papers, literary drafts, correspondence, etc.); photographs, posters, drawings, films, videos, audio tapes, and records; buttons, match-book covers, banners, T-shirts, etc.
Use requirements
Anyone may view the collection during our open hours.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
There are copying services near by.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are finding aids to some of the manuscript and photo collections. We have notebooks with written descriptions of our periodical holdings. There is a guide to the collections in progress.
News about collections
There is an annual newsletter.
 
 

SASKATCHEWAN
 

Saskatchewan Archives Board, Saskatoon
Location: Rm. 91, Murray Building
University of Saskatchewan
3 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A4 Canada
Phone: (306) 933-5832 Fax: (306) 933-7305
Contact: Nadine Small
Internet address:   http://www.gov.sk.ca/govt/archives/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10 am -5 pm; reference retrieval hours: 10 am - 12 pm, 1-4 pm.
Wheelchair Access: Call ahead
History
The archives of the Province of Saskatchewan.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Other holdings/notes: 13 meters

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Saskatchewan, 1964 to present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Early gay rights activity in Saskatchewan is documented in the papers of Doug Wilson and of Neil Richards.
Collecting interests
All materials that have historical significance that we can care for properly pertaining to LGBT people in Saskatchewan.
Use requirements
Open to all subject to access restriction on individual collections.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids available; copies available on request.
News about collections
New releases sent out for large accruals, but not on a regular basis.
 
 

UNITED STATES
 

CALIFORNIA
 

AIDS History Project
Location: University of California San Francisco Library
and Center for Knowledge Management
Archives and Special Collections
AIDS History Project
530 Parnassus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94123-0840
Phone: (415) 476-8112
Contact: Robin Chandler, Head of Archives and Special Collections
Email: chandler@library.ucsf.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.library.ucsf.edu/sc/index.html
Hours: Tue-Wed, by appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The AIDS History Project (AHP) is a collaboration of historians, archivists, AIDS activists, and others, to preserve the history of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco. The current phase is sponsored by the University of California, Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections. Cooperating partners in the project include the San Francisco Public Library and the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California. These institutions, along with UCSF, will preserve and maintain the materials collected as a result of this phase of the project.
The primary objective of this phase of the AIDS History Project is to secure documentation of the response to the AIDS crisis in the city of San Francisco during the first thirteen years, particularly the development and effect of community based organizations and activist coalitions. It is our intent to acquire, arrange, and describe the most fertile and most vulnerable records from these agencies, and deposit them in local cooperating repositories open to all researchers. In addition, AHP encourages preservation of records that cannot be accessioned during the project's lifetime.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: 132.5 cubic ft. including items marked above.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The AIDS History Project spans the first 13 years of the AIDS epidemic, ca.1981-1994, within the San Francisco Bay Area.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Organizations: San Francisco Department of Public Health, AIDS Office (at SFPL), AIDS Treatment News, AIDS Service Providers Association, Bay Area HIV Support & Education Services, GAPA Community HIV Project, Healing Alternatives Foundation, Mobilization Against AIDS, Multicultural Training Resource Center, National Lawyers Guild, National Task Force on AIDS Prevention, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco General Hospital AIDS Program, Third World AIDS Advisory Task Force, Women's AIDS Network, AIDS/ARC Vigil Records (at GLHS), AIDS Healing Alliance (at GLHS), and ACT-UP San Francisco (at GLHS).
Individuals (indirectly documented): Sandra Hernandez, M.D.; Paul Volberding, M.D.; Constance Woofsy, M.D.; and John Ziegler, M. D.
Collecting interests
Additional phases of the AIDS History Project are currently being considered. A natural area in which the AIDS History Project could expand is documentation of the community research effort.
Use requirements
[None noted.]

Comments about access/use:
Certain categories of documentation carry restrictions on access. Certain researchers are required to pay reading room and other fees.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Special services associated with the reproduction and use of rare and unique materials.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids exist for all of the AIDS History Project Collections and are available in the department and online through our web site. MARC records available in the UCSF catalog and MELVYL (UC system-wide catalog).
News about collections
Collection updates will be available on the web site.
 
 

The Bisexual Archives
Address: c/o Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of San Diego
P.O. Box 40389
San Diego, CA 92164
Phone: (619) 260-1522 Fax: (619) 260-1522
Contact: Sharon Parker, Board President; Dennis Fiordaliso, Board Treasurer
Internet address:   http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~clgoyne/lghssd/bisexualarch.html
Hours: Sun: 11 am - 3 pm, and by appointment. Closed holiday weekends.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded by Fritz Klein and Regina Reinhardt in 1996, the Bisexual Archives is housed and mentored by the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San Diego.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 2 ft.
Organizational records: 1 ft.
Printed material: 5 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 1 ft.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Regina Reinhardt (Collection #96-1), Fritz Klein (Collection #96-2).
Collecting interests
Any period or region.
Use requirements
Unrestricted.
Services
Research space, copying, and audiovisual facilities.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There is a collection list.
News about collections
Newsletter of the Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San Diego.
 
 

California State University, Northridge
Location: Special Collections/Archives
University Library
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Phone: (818) 677-2597 Fax: (818) 677-2676
Contact: Tony Gardner
Email: tony.gardner@csun.edu
Internet address: http://library.csun.edu/spcoll/bullough.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 4:30 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Human Sexuality Collection was established in 1973 with the acquisition of the Vern and Bonnie Bullough Collection on Human Sexuality by the University Library. It supports the research and instructional interests of students and faculty and the activities of the Center for Sex Research on campus.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 500 titles

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
All time periods and geographical regions.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Periodicals from the 1960s and 1970s.
Collecting interests
For all subject areas, time periods, and geographical areas for printed and manuscript materials.
Use requirements
Processed and cataloged material open to all researchers.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All processed materials are cataloged online through OCLC.
 
 

Gay and Lesbian Historical Society
of Northern California
Location: 973 Market St. #400
San Francisco, CA 94103
Address: P.O. Box 424280
San Francisco, CA 94142
Phone: (415) 777-5455 Fax: (415) 777-5576
Contact: Archivist: Willie Walker
Email: GLHSNC@aol.com
Internet address:   http://www.glhs.org/glhsothr.htm
Hours: Sat, Sun: 2-5 pm, and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
GLHS was founded in 1985 by members of the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project. GLHS was founded by historians, librarians and others interested in preserving the SF queer history that no one was collecting at the time. A limited number of processed manuscript collections are on deposit at the San Francisco Public Library to allow greater researcher access.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 80+ collections
Organizational records: 40+ collections
Printed material: 150 volumes (reference only); 2,300 periodical titles.
Clippings/vertical files: 6 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 1,000s
Film/Video/Sound: 15 ft.
Photographs: 50 ft.
Microfilm: 108 reels
Other holdings/notes: Gowns and costumes, t-shirts, and banners

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Northern California, all time periods, but the vast majority is post-WWII. The collections are especially rich in material from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Council on Religion and the Homosexual, Daughters of Bilitis, Community United Against Violence, Alan Berube, San Francisco Women's Building, Louis Sullivan, Leonard Matlovich, Crawford Barton Photographs, many small collections documenting AIDS activism and other queer activism. This is just a sampling of the many collections available at GLHS.
Collecting interests
Organizational records, personal papers, ephemera, and periodicals relating to the queer history of Northern California.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Paid reference and research available.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are finding aids to a limited number of manuscript collections. An incomplete annotated guide to manuscript collections is available. There is a comprehensive database to periodical holdings.
News about collections
There is an occasionally published newsletter highlighting collections and articles on queer history, especially of Northern California.
 
 

Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of San Diego
Address: P.O. Box 40389
San Diego, CA 92164
Phone: (619) 260-1522 Fax: (619) 260-1522
Contact: Sharon Parker, Board President; Dennis Fiordaliso, Board Treasurer
Internet http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~clgoyne/lghssd/homepage.html
Hours: Sun: 11 am - 3 pm, and by appointment. Closed holiday weekends.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The society was founded in December of 1987 by Jess Jessop and other San Diego gay and lesbian activists as the Lesbian and Gay Archives. There were no known predecessors in San Diego, and it is not associated with any other institutions or organizations.
Holdings summary
The holdings mostly document the San Diego region (there is some material from Baja California), 1960 to the present. Some material dates from the 1940s and 1950s.
Military: Bridge Wilson (5 ft.), Perry Watkins (.5 ft.), Jim Woodward (3 ft.), and Gary Rees (.33 ft.).
Politics: Chris Kehoe (11 ft.), and Neil Goode (2 ft.).
Organizations: Save Our Teachers - No on 64 (.5 ft.), AIDS Project (96.5 ft), Gay Academic Union [through 1984] (14 ft.), The [Gay and Lesbian] Center (1.5 ft.), Lesbian and Gay Historical Society (4 ft.).
Local and Miscellaneous: Jess Jessop (5 ft.), Bernie Michels (3 ft.), Bruce Kamerling (.33 ft.), Albert Bell (4 ft.), and Steven Zeeland (1.5 ft.).
The breakdown by format is: 55 ft. of manuscripts, 37 ft. of organizational records, 100 ft. of printed material (59 ft. non-local, 40 ft. local), 12 ft. of vertical files, thousands of ephemeral items, 16 ft. of video, 13 ft. of audio, and 14 ft. of photographs.
Collecting interests
Books, periodicals, ephemera, archival photographs, audio/visual, objects/artifacts, erotica, and electronic files especially relating to the lesbian and gay community of San Diego County.
Use requirements
Open to the public; a few collections have restrictions.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Only minimal A/V and phone reference is available. Mostly only copies are allowed out for exhibit loan.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Lists of books, periodicals, and manuscript collections are available. Clippings and vertical files are organized by our own authority list. Finding aids available to a small number of manuscript collections. Video and flat files are currently being cataloged.
News about collections
The newsletter lists recent donations.
 
 

June L. Mazer Lesbian Collection
Location: 626 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Phone: (310) 659-2478 Fax: (310) 659-2478
Contact: Degania Golove or Irene Wolt
Email: mazeriw@pacificnet.net
Internet address:  http://www.lesbian.org/mazer
Hours: Sun: 12-4 pm; Tue: 11 am - 3 pm; Wed: 6-9 pm; and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
The collection was founded in 1981 in Oakland as the West Coast Lesbian Collections. In 1987 the collection moved to Southern California, under the auspices of the Connexxus Women's Center-Centro de Mujeres, and was subsequently named for its first coordinator's partner: community activist and collection supporter June L. Mazer. Since the dissolution of Connexxus in 1990, the Mazer Collection has not been associated with any other institution or organization.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 151 ft. personal and organizational papers
Printed material: 4,000 books; 1,000 periodical titles
Clippings/vertical files: 20 4-drawer filing cabinets (clippings, fliers, etc.)
Objects/ephemera: 4 small boxes (games, matchbook covers, etc.), and mugs, small statues, etc. on display
Film/Video/Sound: 24 ft. videos; 24 ft. records; 200 audiotapes
Photographs: 4 ft.
Other holdings/notes: 40 1940s-60s baseball/softball uniforms; ca.200 posters and other art objects; 18.5 ft. boxes of t-shirts; 20 frames (mostly 12"x16") of buttons.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily United States, 1940s to the present, with a major emphasis on the West Coast.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Feminist and lesbian-feminist material; Feminist Economic Network; Diana Press; other lesbian/women's publications such as Broomstick, and Telewoman; OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change).
Collecting interests
Anything lesbian-related, with an emphasis on letters, diaries/journals, unpublished personal and organizational papers, photos, home movies, periodicals, Lesbian ephemera, and pre-1970 books from the western United States.
Use requirements
On-site use only.

Comments about access/use:
Access to some material is restricted due to donor request or fragility of the material. Visitors should call to confirm they are open.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Web page, off-site exhibits at events, cultural/educational programs and events, slide shows, speakers, and newsletter.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
In the process of choosing cataloging (MARC-compatible) software that will make information available online. The majority of books, records and tapes are cataloged in a database. The periodicals are listed, by issue, in notebooks.
News about collections
Semi-annual newsletter and web page.
 
 

Oakland Museum of California
Location: 1000 Oak St.
Oakland, CA 94607-4892
Phone: (510) 238-3842 Fax: (510) 238-6579
Contact: Inez Brooks-Myers, Marcia Eymann
Internet address:   http://www.museumca.org
Hours: Thu: 1-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: Museum: yes; Museum on Line section (archives, 2nd floor): no.
History
The Oakland Public Museum was founded in 1910 and joined with the Snow Museum and Municipal Art Gallery to form the Oakland Museum in 1969. The name changed ca.1994 to the Oakland Museum of California.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 16 items
Objects/ephemera: 6 items
Film/Video/Sound: 1 sound recording; 1 video.
Photographs: 1 photo
Other holdings/notes: 24 garments and accessories re: [drag] performances of Jose Sarria and Lester Lamont, 6 posters, 2 comic books.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
San Francisco Bay Area, 1930s to 1990s.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Jose Sarria, Lester Lamont.
Collecting interests
We are willing to add additional material about California.
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collections on Museum's database: ARGUS.
News about collections
No information is sent out; however, new material appears on our ARGUS system.
 
 

San Francisco Public Library
James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center
Location: 100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 557-4499; (415) 557-4567 Fax: (415) 437-4831
Contact: Jim E. Van Buskirk, Program Manager; Susan Goldstein, City Archivist
Email: jimv@sfpl.lib.ca.us
Internethttp://sfpl.lib.ca.us/glcenter/home.htm
Hours: Manuscript collections are accessible through the San Francisco History Room: Tue, Wed, Thu: 10 am - 6 pm; Fri: 11 am - 5 pm; Sat: 9 am - 5 pm; Sun: 12-5 pm. Access to other materials at the Gay and Lesbian Center is during regular library hours: Mon.: 10 am - 6 pm; Tue, Wed, Thu:  9 am - 8 pm; Fri: 11 am - 5 pm; Sat:  9 am - 5 pm; Sun:  12 - 5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Announced in October 1991 the Gay and Lesbian Center opened to the public on April 18, 1996, as part of the main San Francisco Public Library. It maintains a collection of books, periodicals, videos, sound recordings, photographs, posters, ephemera, memorabilia, and manuscript collections. In addition to actively soliciting donations of personal papers and organizational records it is also the physical repository for selected manuscript collections belonging to the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 460 cubic ft.
Organizational records: 60 cubic ft.
Printed material: 850 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 10 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 10 ft.
Film/Video/Sound: 100 ft.
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: 50 ft.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
All time periods, with a concentration on post-1969. Manuscript materials specifically related to Northern California. Published materials international in scope, with an attempt to be comprehensive for Northern California.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender communities in Northern California including Aaron Fricke, Lynn Lonidier, Harvey Milk, Paul Reed , and Randy Shilts. Archival holdings include:  Monica Kehoe, Lynn Lonidier, Marvin Liebman, Harvey Milk, Federation of Gay Games, Kiki Gallery, Alice B. Toklas Collection - Letters to Donald H. Frank, and selections from the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California:  Louis Graydon Sullivan, Jackie Winnow, Robert G. DeSantis, Arthur Lazere, Leonard Matlovich, Golden Gate Business Association, Lesbian Agenda for Action, Len Evans Papers, Charles Thorpe, People's Fund, Committee to Form Gay/Lesbian Sierrans, Thousand Fingers Cooperative Crafts Gallery, Scott Bishop, Libertarians for Gay Lesbian Concerns, Joseph Rose-Azevedo, GLAAD/SFBA, and Old Wives' Tale Bookstore..
Collecting interests
The center will collect at a research level both published and unpublished materials focusing on topics reflecting the gay/lesbian experience in the Bay Area and Northern California. Nationally and internationally significant collections will be considered for inclusion.
Use requirements
Open to the public for on-site reference

Comments about access/use:
Archival collections available through the San Francisco History Room.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
No materials may be borrowed.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Published materials are available via the SFPL online catalog. Collection level descriptions of manuscript materials are cataloged in MARC and available in the SFPL catalog and OCLC. Finding aids to selected collections are available on-site.
News about collections
There are periodic updates in the online catalog.
 
 

Stanford University, Green Library
Department of Special Collections
Location: Cecil H Green Library
[East Wing, Third floor]
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6004
Phone: (415) 752-1022 Fax: (415) 723-8690
Email: speccoll@sulmain.stanford.edu
Internet address:   http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Department of Special Collections is the principal repository for Stanford's historical research collections in all formats including printed books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and prints. The department's holdings comprise more than 200,000 books and 20 million manuscript items. Strengths of the department's collections are modern literature, the history and art of the book, the history of science, continental history and literature, classical literature and philosophy, children's literature, Mexican American history, and the history of the Stanford community.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Most collections relevant to LGBT archives deal with Stanford University or alumni, 1972 to the present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Gay and Lesbian Alliance at Stanford and other collections dealing with gay and lesbian history at Stanford University, Kerrigan Black Papers 1963-1993, Gerard Koskovich - AIDS Activism publications, and Newton "Bud" Flounders collection of gay literature (over 3,000 volumes).
Collecting interests
Continuation of collections concerning the gay and lesbian history of Stanford and from alumni.
Use requirements
Open to scholars and researchers regardless of institutional affiliation.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collection level descriptions are available on Socrates, the Stanford University catalog, and RLIN. Finding aids and a card catalog are also available, as is information on the UNICORN web site.
 
 

University of California, Los Angeles,
Department of Special Collections
Location: University Research Library
Room A1713
Address: Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Phone: (310) 825-4988 Fax: (310) 206-1864
Internet addresshttp://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
Hours: Mon-Sat: 9 am - 5 pm, except certain intersession days and during some special events.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Department of Special Collections was founded in 1946.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 500 ft.
Printed material: thousands
Clippings/vertical files: 20 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 200 items
Film/Video/Sound: 250 items
Photographs: thousands
Microfilm: minimal

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily the Los Angeles area, but printed materials cover the entire range of world history.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
There are published and manuscript materials pertaining to hundreds of prominent LGBT figures including J. A. Symonds, Gertrude Stein, H. H. Monro, Denton Welch, Claude McKay, Harry Hay, Morris Kight, Terri de la Pena, Christopher Isherwood, Don Bachardy, John Rechy, Yannis Tsarouchis, Stathis Orphanos, Ivy Compton Burnett, Norman Douglas, William Plomer, Anais Nin, William Beckford, Arthur Rimbaud, Ronald Firbank, George Santayana, Glenway Wescott, Tennessee Williams, Virginia Woolf, T. H. White, A.E. Housman, Gerald Heard, Eloise Klein Healy, Paul Monette, Michael Nava, Edouard Roditi, and Howard Moss. Local minor figures are represented by writers Rudy Thomas Foley and Dan Luckenbill. The Rudi Gernreich papers contain a small amount of material pertaining to the first meetings of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles. Most of these papers are from literary figures, but for those such as Paul Monette's, other community activist concerns are documented. The papers of Morris Kight give insight into the many Los Angeles and international LGBT organizations and activities, although the papers at UCLA do not document these in a systematic way.
All important areas are documented to some extent, including psychology. Many of these studies were begun at UCLA with prominent figures such as Evelyn Hooker. Early work in transgender studies is documented in the papers of UCLA psychiatrist Robert Stoller. Special collections also has works of popular psychology wherein many 20th century works on homosexuality were published, for example Homo Hill (1963), Homosexuality: The International Disease (1965). Particularly important in the UCLA holdings are local imprints that contain hundreds of books in wrappers on popular journalism and psychology and local travel guides and other guides invaluable to LGBT history, and hundreds of titles in all genres of popular literature, particularly detective fiction and erotica.
The history of photography collection contain works by Von Gloeden (in publications) and works by various photographers: Bernice Abbott, Carl van Vechten, Stathis Orphanos, etc. UCLA Special Collections also has collections in the areas of the arts and entertainment, including the gallery records of the Rex Evans Gallery, owned by Rex Evans and James Weatherford (with documentation and correspondence pertaining to Cecil Beaton, Don Bachardy, Louis Fox, Sheila Ross, etc.).
Collecting interests
LGBT materials primarily in support of long-standing collecting areas: local imprints, literature, and culture, etc.
Use requirements
Users must have valid UCLA library cards. Library cards may be obtained on presentation of photo identification. Priority of service is given to researchers formally affiliated with UCLA or with the UC system. There are fees for telephone and mail requests by researchers not affiliated with the university.

Comments about access/use:
No appointment is needed but some materials require 24 hours to retrieve from off-site storage.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Manuscripts have card indices until about 1979, with subject and name added entries, then collection level computer entries. Most manuscript collections have at least box level descriptions, many have folder level and some item level descriptions in finding aids. Some finding aids are available on the web.
 
 

Women's Resource Center
Location: University of California
250 Golden Bear Center
Berkeley, CA 94720-2440
Phone: (510) 642-4786 Fax: (510) 642-9078
Contact: Dorothy Lazard
Internet addresshttp://www.aad.berkeley.edu/uga/osl/wrc/
Hours: Mon-Thu: 9 am - 5 pm; Fri: 9 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Women's Resource Center Library was founded in 1972. Information about LGBT culture and history has always been a part of the WRC collection; the Constance Barker Collection includes early lesbian history and literature and was incorporated into the WRC collection in the 1980s.
Holdings summary
The WRC Library has always maintained information about the GLB community in its collection. The pamphlet file collection (2 file drawers) covers topical areas such as the gay movement, gay/lesbian culture, legal and political issues, parenting, coming out stories, gays in the military, homophobia, employment issues, etc. These files also contain organizational newsletters and brochures, newspaper and magazine articles, monographs, bibliographies, and journal articles. Journals such as Sinister Wisdom, Off Our Backs, and the defunct Outlook are part of the Periodicals Collection. Historical journals such as The Ladder, various grassroots women's newspapers of the 1970s, as well as the Constance Barker Collection (early lesbian histories and literature) are part of the Reference Collection. Altogether, the printed volumes number over 350.
Use requirements
Anyone may use the collection during business hours.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Borrowing privileges of books are reserved only for books and are limited to Berkeley students, staff and faculty.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Author/Title and Subject card catalog; pamphlet file index (for searching topical files); periodicals are listed alphabetically by title.
News about collections
Occasional acquisition lists are compiled and may be picked up at the WRC. They may be included on our web site in the future.
 
 

COLORADO
 

Colorado Historical Society
Address: The Colorado History Museum
1300 Broadway
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 866-4603 Fax: (303) 866-5739
Contact: Stan Oliner, Curator Books and Manuscripts
Hours: Tue-Sat: 10 am - 4:30 pm; closed Sun and Mon.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The museum has been a state government agency since 1879.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 16 collections
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: hundreds, including posters and banners
Film/Video/Sound: Denver TV newsfilms, 1958 - present
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: gay and lesbian newspapers
Other holdings/notes: Oral history cassettes

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Colorado, 1958 to the present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Evans v. Romer (US Supreme Court, 1996), 1990 - present; Metropolitan Church of the Rockies; and AIDS in Colorado, 1981 - present. There is an extensive periodical collection on microfilm, several manuscript collections, and oral history interviews on file; see guide and card catalog for holdings.
Collecting interests
Any material related to Evans v. Romer [Amendment 2 challenge] or to Colorado; any material related to current holdings.
Use requirements
Any person can use the collection's materials on-site.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Records in OCLC.
 
 

FLORIDA
 

Stonewall Library and Archives
Location: 1164 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Suite 300
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334
Phone: (954) 561-1982
Contact: John C. Graves, President
2500 E. Las Olas Blvd., #1006
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-523-8035
Hours: Weekday evenings, Saturday afternoons
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded as the Stonewall Library in 1973 by Mark Silber, the library joined with the Southern Gay Archives (founded by Joel Starkey) in 1990, and reincorporated as Stonewall Library and Archives. The organization has 501c3 status; by-laws, statement of purpose and mission statement are available on request.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 6300 books, est. 250 ft. of periodicals
Other holdings/notes: There are approximately 490 ft. of material in cartons, consisting of organizational records, personal papers, ephemera, periodicals, artifacts, photographs and clipping files. Based on sampling, approximately half of this material consists of periodicals; the remaining categories of material have not been quantified.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Southeast US (east of Houston, south of Washington) generally, and Florida/South Florida in particular, from the 1950s to the present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
People: Mark Silber and Joel Starkey. Organizations: Dolphin Democratic Club, Sunshine Athletic Association, and Anita Bryant campaign (1977). The Southern Gay Archives collection documents gay and lesbian organizations and gay rights movement in the Southeastern US in the 1970s. Regional periodicals and bar rags chronicle gay and lesbian social life, particularly in South Florida.
Collecting interests
Personal papers, organizational records, photographs, ephemera, especially from Southeastern US.
Use requirements
Archival collections are open to the public under supervision; membership is required to check out books.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Copying service is nearby; exhibits are occasional; books and some audiovisual material may be borrowed.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All books are catalogued on a local computer system. There are no archival finding aids.
News about collections
Newsletter (The Legacy) every two months.
 
 

GEORGIA
 

Atlanta History Center
Location: 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
Phone: (404) 814-4000 Fax: (404) 814-8146
Contact: Tammy Galloway
Email: tgalloway@atlhist.org
Internet addresshttp://www.atlhist.org
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10 am - 5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing was founded ca.1991 by members of the lesbian and gay community of Atlanta to collect materials from the community and deposit them at the Atlanta Historical Society.
Holdings summary
The Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, 1957-1994, includes 48.25 cubic feet of gay and lesbian publications from throughout the Southeast, business and organization papers pertaining to gay rights and AIDS, and various personal papers of gay and lesbian activists in Georgia. The collection documents the gay and lesbian community in Atlanta, including such figures as Ray Kluka and Maria Helena Dolan, such organizations as the First Tuesday Association (Ga.), and the Atlanta Gay Center.
The center also has the records of the Atlanta branch of Black and White Men Together, which are unprocessed and so require an appointment in order to use.
Collecting interests
Material that documents Atlanta history.
Use requirements
Complete a patron form and show photo ID.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collection is described in the card catalog and one record in OCLC. A folder-level finding aid is also available.
News about collections
None published, but new acquisitions arrive regularly.
 
 

ILLINOIS
 

Charles Deering Library of Special Collections
Location: Northwestern University Library
1935 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-2355
Phone: (847) 491-2895 Fax: (847) 491-8306
Contact: Scott Krafft
Email: spec@nwu.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.library.nwu.edu/spec
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 5 pm; Sat: 8:30 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes, but requires some assistance
History
Part of Northwestern University.
Holdings summary
The collections' strength is primarily published lesbian materials and ephemera. These are part of a more general feminist collection documenting the women's movement worldwide from the 1960s to the present. There is some gay male material, chiefly periodicals documenting the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s. Holdings also include some audiovisual material.
Collecting interests
Particularly lesbian materials.
Use requirements
No special requirements.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Exhibit loans are rare.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are in-house guides to the Women's Ephemera Files and to special single-subject issues of journals, and thematic guides to many of the women's journals generally. Monograph and serial holdings are cataloged on Northwestern's online catalog, NCAT.
News about collections
A Women's Collection Newsletter is published sporadically.
 
 

Gerber/Hart Gay and Lesbian
Library and Archives
Location: 1127 West Granville St.
Chicago, IL 60660-2012
Phone: (773) 883-3003 Fax: (773) 883-3078
Contact: Russell Kracke
Email: info@gerberhart.org
Internet addresshttp://www.gerberhart.org
Hours: Mon-Tue: 6-9 pm; Fri-Sun: 12-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Gerber/Hart Library was brought into existence in January 1981 as a joint project of the Gay Academic Union-Chicago Chapter, Gay Horizons, and the Chicago Gay and Lesbian History Project. The organization, spearheaded by Gregory Sprague, achieved independent status on November 20, 1981. First christened "The Midwest Gay and Lesbian Archive and Library," in April 1981 the library changed its name to "The Henry Gerber-Pearl M. Hart Library" in honor of two gay activists from the 1920s.
Mission statement: The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives believes knowledge is key to dispelling homophobia. A lesbian and gay library, archives, and cultural center, G/H is dedicated to meeting the information needs of its unique community in a safe atmosphere that promotes research, exploration, and discovery. G/H's programming policies reflect the diversity and rich history of the lesbian and gay community. A permanent institution, G/H is committed to the sound management of its resources.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: approx. 14 cubic ft.
Organizational records: approx. 44 cubic ft.
Printed material: 843 linear ft. and approx. 106 cubic ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 25 linear ft. and approx. 27 cubic ft.
Objects/ephemera: 12 cubic ft.
Film/Video/Sound: 17 cubic ft.
Photographs: 2 cubic ft.
Microfilm: 11 units

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
G/H's monograph stacks contain materials pre- and post-Stonewall. The periodical collections limit themselves to Chicago, Illinois, the Midwest (Ill., Ind., Ohio, Ky., Mo., Kans., Nebr., S.Dak., N.Dak., Minn., Iowa, Wis., Mich.) and international publications.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Organizational materials include mostly Chicago-based organizations. Manuscripts appear to be the records of Chicagoans.
Collecting interests
With the hiring of a professional archivist in 1996, the policies are being reviewed. The focus so far has been on a wide variety of materials that document gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual communities in the Midwest (Ill., Ind., Ohio, Ky., Mo., Kans., Nebr., S.Dak., N.Dak., Minn., Iowa, Wis., Mich.), especially from Chicago and Illinois.
Use requirements
Anyone can use library materials in the library, but circulating materials may only borrowed with the purchase of a membership.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), loan agreements for exhibits, and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Books, videos, and cassettes from the circulating stacks can be borrowed. Check-out length is 2 weeks, 10 books max. Periodicals and archival materials do not circulate.
G/H sponsors educational programs including: 3 well-established book discussion groups; an annual "Day Without History" with the Chicago Historical Society, to commemorate the loss to the world's history due to the AIDS pandemic; and presentations to school groups, meetings of organizations, and conferences. G/H played a leading role in organizing the 1994 Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual History Month. G/H participates in Chicago area community festivals and pride rallies.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
GH uses the Columbia Online Catalog to access its circulating books, which includes two categories, Fiction and Non-Fiction. Records are downloaded into Columbia from OCLC records. Special Collections and Archival materials have no reference guides up to this point, but SPC books from this point forth will be cataloged in Columbia. GH is hiring an archivist for 6 months to create finding aids for archival/manuscript materials. Periodicals are not cataloged or indexed.
News about collections
Newsletter and web site.
 
 

Leather Archives & Museum
Location: 5007 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: Archives: (773) 275-1570; research inquiries: (773) 878-6360
Internet address:  http://www.leatherarchives.org
Hours: Regular hours are about to be expanded; please call for details.
History
The Leather Archives & Museum is dedicated to preserving a record of the Leather/SM/Fetish Community: our lifestyles, our communities, our achievements, our history. In 1992, Chuck Renslow (creator of the nation's first leather bar, Chicago's Gold Coast, and the Executive Producer of the International Mr. Leather Contest) asked several leather men and women to join him in forming the Leather Archives & Museum. First in 1993, and again in 1994 and 1995, LA&M presented an exhibition of Leather artifacts in a conference room at the Congress Hotel during the International Mr. Leather Weekend. In November of 1996 the LA&M moved into new headquarters and opened its first permanent public exhibit space. The new space also houses the archival and research collections, making them accessible to serious students. Leatherman Joseph W. Bean arrived in the summer of 1997 to become the first official curator of the LA&M.
Holdings summary
There is a rapidly growing collection of artifacts and memorabilia, as well as archival materials from individuals and organizations. It is almost exclusively a post-World War II collection.
Collecting interests
The LA&M actively seeks additional material relating to the worldwide tribe of Leatherfolk.
Use requirements
[None noted.]

Comments about access/use:
Access conditions are about to be expanded; please call for details.
 
 

INDIANA
 

The Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives
Location: 1112 Southeastern Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Address: Diversity Center
P.O. Box 441473
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 639-4297
Contact: Michael A. Bohr, Director
Internet addresshttp://www.gayindy.org
Hours: Tue: 5:30-8:30 pm; Sat: 12-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
The library began as Michael Bohr's private collection and became available to the community in 1992. It opened in its present location in the Diversity Center in 1995. The center provides no direct financial assistance to the library.
Information about holdings
Printed material: 2,254 books, many periodicals
Film/Video/Sound: 30 videotapes of local & national gay interest
Photographs: 50 promo shots of local female impersonators
Other holdings/notes: Original artwork by local artists

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The collection focuses on Central Indiana.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Complete runs of Indianapolis gay and lesbian publications, including The Screamer (1966-67), The Works (1980-1992), The Mirror (1985-1990), Heartland (1990-91), Fever (1991-92), and The Word (1991 - present).
Collecting interests
Accept new acquisitions.
Use requirements
Open to the general public.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Borrowing is restricted to certain books.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
On-site database of book collection with many access points, including subject, author, and title. Cataloging of archival material has just begun.
 
 

The Kinsey Institute for Research
in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
Location: Morrison 313
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN 47405
Phone: (812) 855-7686 Fax: (812) 855-8277
Contact: Margaret Harter
Email: libknsy@indiana.edu
Internet address:   http://www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/colldesc.htm
Hours: Appointment required. Regular hours are Mon-Fri: 1-5 pm. Collections may be used Mon-Fri: 8 am - 12 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The institute was founded in 1947 by Dr. Alfred Kinsey. The institute is affiliated with Indiana University.
Information about holdings
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
20th Century United States with some Western European materials. Most of the collection is post-WWII.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
The photography collection includes works of Wilhelm von Gloeden, George Platt Lynes, and Pavel Tchelichev. Only a portion of the collection documents gay and lesbian history; materials are part of a larger collection documenting sexual practices and attitudes.
Collecting interests
Acquisitions are limited to material about sexual behaviors, attitudes, and lifestyles. There are no limitations of time period or geographical area. The photography collection is particularly interested in acquiring Victorian-era photography and contemporary fine arts photography.
Use requirements
Use restricted to qualified researchers. Not open to the general public.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).

Other services/notes:
Internet and telephone reference services are limited, as are available audiovisual facilities.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Online public access catalog (KICAT) to library's holdings (incomplete). No online catalog for archival or art/photography materials.
 
 

KENTUCKY
 

Williams-Nichols Institute
Address: P.O. Box 4264
Louisville, KY 40204
Phone: (502) 636-0935 Fax: (502) 635-6469
Contact: David Williams, Director
Email: willnich@aol.com
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: yes, assistance available
History
The Williams-Nichols Institute, operator of the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Library and Archives, was founded by David Williams in November of 1982. It is not associated with any other organizations.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: One file drawer, one storage box
Organizational records: approx. 3 file drawers
Printed material: 305 periodical titles; 1,100 books
Clippings/vertical files: 15 4-drawer file cabinets
Objects/ephemera: 200+ items
Film/Video/Sound: 300 items
Photographs: 300
Other holdings/notes: 50 protest banners, posters, autographs

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Post-1950s with an emphasis on Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Community Health Trust (1984 - present), Fairness Campaign (1991 - present), Gays and Lesbians United for Equality (1982 - present), Dignity-Louisville, local AIDS organizations, LAMBDA Louisville, Louisville P-FLAG; many other Kentucky-based groups. Also Jeffery Wasson files (1992) and David Williams Papers (1963 - present).
Collecting interests
No subject, time, or geographical restrictions, but main focus is on Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
List of books (by author) and periodicals, videotapes, audio material, clippings files, and photo envelope titles. The clothing and other apparel list includes context in which it was worn, purchased, or donated.
News about collections
Publicizes acquisitions of major importance in the statewide gay and lesbian newspaper, The Letter.
 
 

MARYLAND
 

National Library of Medicine,
History of Medicine Division
Location: 8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Phone: (800) 272-4787 Fax: (301) 402-0872
Contact: Margaret Kaiser, Elizabeth Tunis, Stephen Greenberg
Email: hmdref@nlm.nih.gov
Internet address:   http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hmd.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes

Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Microfilm: yes
Other holdings/notes: International collection of AIDS posters.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Pre-1914 printed works; modern manuscripts.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Information and posters on AIDS; the Index-catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office (NLM's 19th Century and earlier printed catalog) has various sub-headings under the subject "sexual instinct."
Use requirements
Open to the public.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Various printed catalogs; entries in CATLINE, SERLINE, and AVLINE databases; NLM's MEDLARS system; via Internet through LOCATOR (telnet to locator.nlm.nih.gov and enter locator at the login prompt).
 
 

MASSACHUSETTS
 

Amherst College Library
and Marshall Bloom Collection
Location: Amherst College
Amherst, MA 01002
Address: Box 2256
Amherst College
P.O. Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000
Phone: (413) 542-2068
Contact: John Lancaster
Email: jlancaster@amherst.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.amherst.edu/~library
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 12 pm, 1-4 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Amherst College was founded in 1821. Marshall Bloom graduated in 1966, and shortly thereafter, he founded the Liberation News Service. The Bloom Alternative Press collection consists primarily of the archival copies of underground newspapers from LNS (they required all subscribers to send copies of publications using LNS material; the collection is therefore national in scope).
Information about holdings
Printed material: Library: 1700 volumes, 20 periodical titles; Bloom: 110 periodical titles; Special Collections: 20 periodical titles, 400 paperbacks.
Film/Video/Sound: Library: 50 videos, 20 sound recordings
Other holdings/notes: Archives: 6 theses

Collecting interests
Additions of similar material not already held (i.e., new underground titles and missing issues from titles already held).
Use requirements
Archives/Special Collections materials must be used in the Archives and Special Collections reading room.

Comments about access/use:
The underground newspapers are stored in a remote facility and must be requested at least one day prior to use.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Research space: only while actively using materials in our collection (i.e., not general study space or places where people can store their books from one day to the next).
Copying: we will make photocopies of anything that a) can physically tolerate it without damage and b) can legally be copied.
Borrowing: Special Collections and Archives materials do not circulate; books from the main library collection do circulate.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Guide: DeSantis, John, and Jaquith, Matthew V., compilers. Gay and Lesbian Materials in the Amherst College Library: A Bibliography. Amherst, Mass., 1994.
 
 

Archive Project
Address: P.O. Box 202
Hadley, MA 01035
Phone: (413) 585-0369
Contact: Phil Gauthier, archivist
Email: gokey@titan.oit.umass.edu
Internet addresshttp://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~gokey
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: site is not accessible, but archivist will bring materials to an accessible site by request.
History
The Archive Project started ca.1991 as an outgrowth of the two local ACT UP and Queer Nation chapters. Initially, it held organizational and subject files related to these two groups. As both organizations grew in size, the archive expanded its purpose by collecting materials relating to local gay organizations and the Northampton Pride March. A news photocopy archive was set up for local gay events, and HIV/AIDS-related information and organizations. Eventually folks in the community started donating items, such as national periodicals, gay men's erotica, buttons, T-shirts and organizational files of groups that disbanded.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 4 standard file drawers
Organizational records: 7 standard file drawers
Printed material: approx. 300 books; 7 large boxes gay men's erotica; 10 large boxes periodicals.
Clippings/vertical files: 2 boxes AIDS journals/reports; 2 large boxes unsorted clippings (1990-present); 3 ft. photocopies of newsclippings.
Objects/ephemera: 200 buttons; 8 t-shirts.
Film/Video/Sound: 6-10 videos

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1969-present, mostly post-1988. Pioneer Valley of Western Mass, especially Northampton-Amherst area. Some general northeastern U.S.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
People: Phil Gauthier (1980-present), Sam Gianneli. Organizations: ACT UP Western Mass. (1990-94), Queer Nation (ca.1990-94), Pride March Committee (1981-96), Pioneer Valley GLB Youth (1991-present), PWA Coalition of W. Mass. (1989-1990), Dignilife (an AIDS organization, 1987-ca.1990), and Valley Gay Alliance.
Subjects: local gay events, HIV/AIDS. As an outgrowth of the archivist's personal interest, subject files relating to Radical Faeries and Needle Exchange are extensive.
Periodicals include: Metroline, Gay Community News, Outweek, Advocate, Valley Women's Voice, Outlook, VWV, Outright families, Queer Noho, Lesbian Calendar, Gay Men's Calendar, VGA Gayzette, RFD, Faeriegram, and Draghead.
Collecting interests
Materials relating to the growth of the gay communities of Western Mass. and community and institutional responses to the AIDS crisis. Also materials documenting Radical Faerie community in the U.S., and local periodicals, especially missing issues of above mentioned titles.
Use requirements
Call ahead to arrange to view the collection.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, Internet reference (email/web), and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Copying services must be arranged; VCR and tape deck available. Internships are available.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collection is not indexed, although filing is by subject. Some periodicals are cataloged.
 
 

The History Project:
Documenting Lesbian and Gay Boston
Address: c/o Cambridge Women's Center
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 557-1082 Fax: (617) 354-8807
Contact: Libby Bouvier (phone/fax); Nancy Richard
Email: info@historyproject.org
Internet addresshttp://www.historyproject.org
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: First floor is wheelchair accessible. Materials housed on upper floors can be brought downstairs.
History
Founded February 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts. Incorporated July 1981.
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 16 cubic ft. (10 of BALGHP/OBHEF; 6 of other Boston-area groups/orgs.)
Printed material: 250+ titles; reference only
Clippings/vertical files: 3 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 1000 items
Film/Video/Sound: 3 ft.
Photographs: 6 ft; also slides
Other holdings/notes: Computer disks of exhibit: "Public Faces/Private Lives"

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1940s to the present in the greater Boston area.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbians and gay men pre-Stonewall era (oral histories and photos); history of gay men and lesbians in Boston and beginnings of lesbian and gay scholarship; bar culture; passing women; early homophile organizations (1950s-1974); extensive database of post-1968 lesbian and gay groups/organizations.
Collecting interests
In the process of locating permanent storage space, which will enable us to accept new acquisitions.
Use requirements
None.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Exhibit "Public Faces/Private Lives" available for rental or loan.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Entries for all collections currently housed in the Cambridge Women's Center are currently being entered into NUCMC. A finding aid for the Records of the Boston Area Lesbian and Gay History Project is available at the Cambridge Women's Center, 46 Pleasant St., Cambridge.
News about collections
New collections are listed in the Women's Center newsletter, including materials on temporary deposit. Also, Our Boston Heritage distributes press releases.

Northeastern University Library
Archives and Special Collections Department
Location: 92 Snell Library
Boston, MA 02115
Phone:  (617) 373-2351
Fax:  (617) 373-5409
Contact:  Joan Krizack
E-mail:  j.krizack@nunet.neu.edu
Web page:  http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives
Wheelchair Access: Yes
Information about holdings
The collection contains organizational records, clippings, objects and ephemera, film, video, sound, photographs, and microfilm from the 1970's - 1990's.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented
Aids Action Committee
Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus
Bromfield St. Education Foundation
        Gay Community News
        Outwrite Writers Conference
        The Prisoner's Project
Student Homophile League and other partial collections of early homophile organizations.

Collecting interests
Northeastern is actively collecting lgbt organizational records.
Comments about access/use
Restrictions may be set by donors, otherwise not restricted.  Access is the same as for non-lgbt collections.
Services
Research space, copying, audivisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are mounted on the web when they are complete.
News about collections
News releases on website
 
 
 

Schlesinger Library
on the History of Women in America
Location: Radcliffe College
10 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 495-8647 Fax: (617) 496-8340
Email: slref@radcliffe.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.radcliffe.edu/schles/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm. Some evening hours. Call for current schedule.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Schlesinger Library was founded as the Women's Archives in 1943, when Radcliffe alumna Maud Wood Park (1898) donated her papers relating to the woman suffrage movement. In 1967 the library was renamed the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America to honor historians Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger. The library's collections have grown to over 50,000 books and hundreds of periodical titles, as well as thousands of shelf feet of manuscript collections.
Holdings summary
The library holds mostly 19th and 20th century books, periodicals, and manuscript collections; LGBT-related manuscript materials cover ca.1930 - present.
Note: the following collections (ca.180 linear ft.) include papers of self-identified lesbians and women whose primary relationships seem to have been with other women, as well as papers of others that contain LGBT-related materials.
Lura Beam: 2 ft. (1900-1969)
Susan Bolotin: .5 ft. (1982-1983), unknown amount of LBGT-related materials.
Louise Bosworth: 4 ft. (1881-1982)
Lesbian activist Charlotte Bunch: 7 ft. (1950-1988)
Labor education expert Eleanor Coit: 1.5 ft. (1894-1971)
COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics): ca.40 folders of LBGT-related materials (1962-1989)
Daughters of Bilitis Cambridge (Mass.): 1 ft. (1974-1986); temporarily closed.
Lesbian writer and activist Barbara Deming: 30 ft. (1908-1985)
Birth control advocate Mary Ware Dennett: 4 folders of LBGT-related material (1894-1948)
Advisor to F.D.R. Molly Dewson, and Polly Porter: 1 ft. and 3 reels microfilm (1861-1962)
Sculptor Harriet Hosmer: 2.5 ft. (1830-1908)
Photographer Bettye Lane: 58 LBGT-related photographs (1969-1981)
Robin Ruth Linden: .25 ft. and 9 videotapes (1978-1983)
Frieda S. Miller: 6.5 ft. (1909-1973). See also Pauline Newman.
Letters to Ms. Magazine: 4 folders of LBGT-related materials (1972-1980)
Mass. Society for Social Health: 2 folders of LBGT-related materials (1947-1956)
Writer, lawyer, activist for African American and women's rights, Episcopal Priest Pauli Murray: 59 ft. (1827-1985)
N.O.W. (National Organization for Women): 42 folders, 6 videotapes, and 7 audiotapes of LBGT-related materials (1975-1988)
Singer/songwriter Holly Near: 10 ft. (1974-1991)
Advocate for the rights of women workers Pauline Newman: 6 ft. (1903-1982). See also Frieda S. Miller.
Lesbian writer Adrienne Rich: 12 ft. (1933-1984)
Sharonah Robinson: 2 folders of LBGT-related materials (1956-1985)
Activist Rochelle Ruthchild: 1.5 ft. (1966-1980)
Flora Belle Surles: .25 ft. (1917-1973)
Alice B. Toklas: 1 folder (1934-1954)
Prison reformer Miriam Van Waters: 27 ft. (1861-1971). See also Anna Gladding collection.
"Visible for a Change" exhibit records: 1 ft.
Winnifred Wygal: .25 ft. (1916-1972), unknown amount of LBGT-related materials.
Collecting interests
Anything that falls into our collecting scope will be considered: U.S. women (primarily 19th and 20th century), social activism, social welfare and reform, employment, the professions, suffrage, labor, women's rights, government, politics, education, medicine/health, and the family.
Use requirements
Open to the public; photo ID and registration required.

Comments about access/use:
Noncirculating.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All holdings are cataloged in HOLLIS (Harvard's online public access catalog); manuscripts are cataloged in RLIN; finding aids for some collections are in National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS); finding aids for all collections are available from the library (fee charged for photocopying and postage). Books on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues are also listed in a bibliography available on the web site or from the library.
News about collections
Newsletter mentions notable acquisitions on all topics.
 
 

Sexual Minorities Archives
/New Alexandria Lesbian Library
Location: Private home
Address: P.O. Box 402, Florence Station
Northampton, MA 01060-0402
Phone: (413) 584-7616
Contact: Bet Power
Hours: By appointment only on week nights and weekends. Call or write a week in advance.
Wheelchair Access: yes, by request
History
Founded as New Alexandria Lesbian Library in Chicago, Ill., on July 12, 1974, as part of the lesbian Feminist Center there, by J. R. Roberts (a.k.a. Barbara Henry). In 1977 Bet Power became the curator; she moved the collection to western Massachusetts in 1979. On January 1, 1992, the collection was expanded and renamed the Sexual Minorities Archives.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: ca.50 collections
Organizational records: ca.100 boxes
Printed material: 3,000 items (660 periodicals sets; 200 signed volumes, first editions, or rare books)
Clippings/vertical files: 10 4-drawer file cabinets
Objects/ephemera: ca.1,000
Film/Video/Sound: several hundred titles
Photographs: thousands
Other holdings/notes: approx. 100 pieces of art; 300 comic books.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Early 1900s to present; bulk is 1930s to present. Covers entire USA, with some international materials. Strongest regions represented: Chicago, IL and Northampton, MA.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Documents the lives of all sexual minorities (lesbians, bisexuals, gay men, transgendered people, S/M leatherfolk, fetishists). Significant holdings: 1970s lesbian organizations in Chicago and NY; Black lesbians; S/M; and transgendered people.
Collecting interests
All sexual minorities, especially (but not exclusively) US; individuals and organizations.
Use requirements
Free access to all sexual minority individuals and supporters.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, and telephone reference.

Other services/notes:
Also video rental service. Copying is done overnight by staff only.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Card catalog for basic collection; some indices to lesbian periodicals (The Ladder and Lesbian Periodicals Index); indices to portions of the collection (e.g., Black lesbians and lesbian separatism). All indices in print format.
 
 

Smith College Archives
Location: Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Address: Alumnae Gym of William Allen Nielson Library
Phone: 413-585-2970 Fax: 413-585-2886
Internet address:   http://www.smith.edu/libraries/ca/home.htm
Hours: M-F: 9 am - 5 pm; some Sundays during academic year (summer hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm). Reading room and exhibits, M-F: 8:30 am - 5 pm (summer hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm).
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
In 1921 Smith College officially appointed its first archivist , although the college had been collecting records as early as 1908. The holdings grew into a "college history collection," consisting in large part of the materials that students created while they attended Smith, and, in much lesser amounts, official records of the college. In the 1980s the archives began a records program to bring in college office records, while continuing to collect student material and faculty papers.
Holdings summary
LBGT-related material, in broad categories, 1860s to the present:
- student letters (written home to family and friends) and journals/diaries describe crushes/smashes, female friendships, LBGT activity on campus (scattered over 100 sets of letters and journals);
- student publications include articles about crushes/smashes, female friendships, LBGT activity on campus (scattered);
- student organization records (e.g. Lesbian Bisexual Alliance), ca.3 ft.;
- faculty papers document female friendships, Boston marriages, and lesbian relationships (scattered through ca.5-10 collections of papers);
- administrative records and college publications document administration policies, practices, and public relations toward LBGT issues (scattered); and
- alumnae publications: includes articles in Smith Alumnae Quarterly and LBGT alumnae group newsletters.
Formats include manuscripts, organizational records, printed material, vertical files, audiovisual material, photographs, and microfilm.
Collecting interests
Official records of the college; records of student, faculty, and other college-related organizations; records of alumnae; faculty and major administrators' papers; papers of alumnae (from their student days only); other records which record or describe college activities and events. Full Acquisitions Policy available from the archivist.
Use requirements
Open to all interested users who fill out the registration form and agree to follow the rules.

Comments about access/use:
Some portions of some collections are closed due to donation agreements, college policy, or state or federal law; this may include LBGT material.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), loan agreements for exhibits, and borrowing privileges for individuals.

Other services/notes:
Borrowing is non-circulating, and is generally available to administrative staff only. Copying services are limited.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Shelflist; selected finding aids to faculty papers, student letters and diaries lists; selected indices; and card catalog.
News about collections
The Smith College Libraries' newsletter reports on specific additions. The annual report is not a public document.
 
 

Sophia Smith Collection
Location: Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
Phone: (413) 585-2970 Fax: (413) 585-2886
Email: ssc-wmhist@smith.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.smith.edu/libraries/ssc/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; some Sundays (summer, Mon-Fri: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm). Reading room and exhibits, Mon-Fri: 8:30 am -5 pm (summer hours: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm).
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded in 1942 as a collection of works by women writers, the scope was expanded to document the lives and activities of women. The collection was renamed in honor of the founder of Smith College, in 1946.
Holdings summary
As a whole, the Sophia Smith Collection documents the U.S., especially New England, 1863-1994.
Note: the following collections (204 ft.) include avowed lesbians and women who are known to have lived their lives in the companionship of other women, in some cases one lifelong companion.
Lura Beam (1885-1956) 7 ft.: a social welfare and public health specialist; includes excerpts of letters Beam received from Louise Stevens Bryant, a copy of Beam's biography of Bryant, and related correspondence.
Noel Phyllis Birkby (ca. 1930s-90s) 72 ft.: architect, artist, and lesbian feminist activist.
Eleanor Coit (1913-74) 13 ft.: workers' education specialist and writer.
Florence Hollis (1863-1987) 25 ft.: social worker; collection includes her papers and the papers of her life companion, Rosemary Reynolds.
Rhoda McCulloch (1880s-1978): Y.W.C.A. worker and editor; collection includes papers of her longtime companion, Henrietta Roelofs.
Ruth Mellor (1927-70) 1 ft.: social worker; collection contains personal correspondence referring to her relationships with women, ca. 1928-29. Unprocessed.
Vida Scudder (1884-1979) 1 ft.: author, editor, and social settlement worker. Includes papers of Florence Converse, who lived with Scudder from 1919 until Scudder's death.
Grace Spofford (1917-1991) 11 ft.: music educator; includes papers of Elizabeth Coulson.
Ellen Gates Starr (1806-1991) 11 ft.: co-founder of Hull House; includes letters from Jane Addams to Starr.
Alice Morgan Wright (1880s-1978) 6 ft.: sculptor and suffragist and advocate of animal welfare, women's rights, and peace. Collection includes papers of Wright's companion, Edith Goode.
Mary Van Kleeck (1883-1984) 56 ft.: social researcher and industrial sociologist. Her companion was Mary Fledderus. Mostly professional papers.
The Sophia Smith Collection also holds the following organizational records and vertical files.
The Lesbian Calendar (ca.1985-1994) 6 ft.: office files of the Northampton-based newsletter, subject files, periodicals, clippings re: lesbian/gay-related interests, posters, flyers, and files of LOGS (Lesbians of Greater Springfield) newsletter (ca.1985-86). Unprocessed.
Ms. Magazine (ca. 1970-1987; not all GLBT-related) 243 ft.: editorial files include letters, article submissions, fiction, and special issues re: lesbian and gay issues. Unprocessed.
Vertical files (51+ ft; not all GLBT-related)
Homosexuality collection: (ca. 1984-present) 1 ft.: clippings, articles, pamphlets, memorabilia, and selected issues of periodicals
Women's liberation collection (ca.1950s-80s; not all GLBT-related) ca. 50 ft.: printed material, biographical material, memorabilia, and selected records of lesbian and feminist organizations and activities.
See also periodical collection, including Amazon Quarterly, The Ladder, The Furies, Sinister Wisdom, and others; also secondary sources in reference collection.
Collecting interests
Papers of individuals and records of organizations, U.S., any time period, all types of materials.
Use requirements
Photo ID.

Comments about access/use:
Non-circulating.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Research appointments, class presentations.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are available for all collections described above; in some cases box lists only are available. Holdings gradually being made available in the Five College online catalog; OCLC; older collections in NUCMC. Published catalogs also available.
News about collections
Important additions listed in Sophia Smith Collection Annual Report and Smith College Libraries' newsletter.
 
 

Women's Movement Archives
Location: Cambridge Women's Center
46 Pleasant St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617) 354-8807
Contact: Libby Bouvier; Betty Furdon
Hours: By appointment.
Wheelchair Access: First floor is wheelchair accessible. Materials housed on upper floors can be brought downstairs.
History
Founded in 1981 to preserve the records of grass-roots Boston area feminist organizations and groups, the Women's Movement Archives is part of the Women's Education Center, Inc. (Women's Center).
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 25+ collections
Printed material: 3000+ titles
Clippings/vertical files: 15 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 500+ items
Film/Video/Sound: 25+ items
Photographs: 4 ft, also slides
Other holdings/notes: 400+ reel-to-reel tapes

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1968-present; primarily greater Boston area.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
The archival collection includes records of Bread and Roses; Female Liberation; The Abortion Action Coalition; Sister Courage; Somerville (Mass.) Women's Center; The Boston Women's Music Collective; The Cambridge Women's Center and affiliated projects (the Women's School, Lesbian Liberation, Women Against Violence Against Women); and papers of many women who have been active locally (as well as nationally) in feminist and lesbian-feminist movements. Significant number of women in these groups are self-identified lesbians and there is material throughout all of the collections documenting lesbians and bisexual women.
The (non-circulating) library holds books on such topics as feminist theory, women's history, poetry, women of color, fiction, autobiographies, and biographies. There is also a collection of 400 volumes on lesbian and gay history and culture. Periodical collection includes such titles as: Sojourner, Sister Courage, Signs, Conditions, Sinister Wisdom, and Off Our Backs, as well as newsletters from community women's groups, rape crisis centers, political action groups, women's centers, and battered women's shelters. The vertical file collection consists of flyers, brochures, articles, position papers, and newspaper clippings on subjects ranging from abortion struggles to women in revolution.
Collecting interests
Materials that document women's lives/activities/organizations. Any time period, though focus is 1960-present. Geographical concentration is Boston area.
Use requirements
By appointment.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
No audio equipment; have VCR. Copying facilities are limited.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids to most of the collections available for use in the archives and copies can be reproduced for researchers. Entries for all archival collections currently being entered into NUCMC.
News about collections
Women's Center quarterly newsletter and annual reports include summaries of archives activities (including new acquisitions, number of researchers, etc.)
 
 

MICHIGAN
 

Michigan State University Libraries
Special Collections,
Location: East Lansing, MI 48824-1048
Phone: (517) 355-3770 Fax: (517) 353-5069
Contact: Anne Tracy, GLBT Bibliographer
Email: 20676AXT@MSU.edu
Internet address:  http://www.lib.msu.edu/coll/main/spec_col/
Hours: M-F 9 am - 5 pm; Sat. 10 am - 2 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Gay and Lesbian materials were first collected in 1971, as part of MSU's American Radicalism Collection.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 1 box
Organizational records: 10 boxes
Printed material: 1,500 books; 350 journal titles
Clippings/vertical files: 37 ft. of vertical files
Film/Video/Sound: 6 videos, 24 sound
Other holdings/notes: over 100+ comic books related to GLBT; uncat. TV/TS; volumes: 100

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily 1950-present; national with some international holdings.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Dignity, MSU Gay/Lesbian Taskforce, GLBT Journals, Gay men in the men's movement; Gay comics, AIDS comics, NAMBLA, religious right, Transvestite fiction, and Gay-Lesbian pulp fiction.
See guides on The Comic Art Collection, The Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collections, and the American Radicalism Collections. Also, in the MSU Library Microfilm Collection: San Francisco Bay Area gay and lesbian serial microfilm collection.
Collecting interests
As mentioned above.
Use requirements
[None noted.]

Comments about access/use:
Materials do not circulate; there are very limited photocopy services via inter-library loan.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There is a printed index only for comic art holdings; access to cataloged materials is through a local database (MAGIC) and there are records in OCLC.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Historical Society
Address:  345 Kellogg Blvd. West
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: (651) 296-2143 (reference)
E-mail: refinfo@mnhs.org (reference)
Contact: Mark Greene
Phone: (651) 296-2620
E-mail: mark.greene@mnhs.org
Internet address: http://www.mnhs.org/library/about/index.html
Hours:   Mon., Wed-Sat., 9-5; Thursday, 9-9
Wheelchair access: Yes
History:
The Historical Society was chartered in 1849 as the second act of the Territorial Legislature.  The Society is not part of the state government, but an independent non-profit educational institution with a self-perpetuating board of directors.  Its mission is to document the human history of Minnesota.  The Society's main facility, which houses museum galleries and a research library, is open without charge to the public.  There is no charge for access to the research collections but charges do apply for reproductions.
Holdings Summary:
This is a summary of the Society's holdings by its major collection divisions.  Please note that the Society uses GLBT rather than LGBT as its abbreviation for the collection.
Government Records
In 1971 the Society was given the responsibility for administering the State Archives - the official records of state, county, municipal and township governments.  Among the record series that are richest in documents and data on GLBT citizens in Minnesota are those of the State Department of Human Rights (1955-80) and Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (1947-79).  other important series include:  correspondence and subject files of the Governor's Office, the records and case files of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, and the subject files of Minneapolis mayor Don Fraser.  Extensive records of the Governor's Task Force on Lesbian and Gay Minnesotans (1990-91) are included in the manuscript collection of Leo Treadway (see below), vice chair of the Task Force.
Manuscript Collections
The manuscript collections include the papers (letters, diaries, scrapbooks, etc) of individuals and the records (minutes, reports, financial documents, etc.) of organizations and businesses.  Among the Society's most important GLBT manuscript collections are the papers of:  elected official and AIDS victim Brian Coyle (1965-91); the papers of Leo Treadway (1971-95) - documenting his work with secular and religious organizations advancing gay rights and human justice issues; activist and organizer Thom Higgins (1950-94) - including documentation of the famous 1977 incident in which he hit Anita Bryant with a pie; Wallace Swan (1975-94) - reflecting his work as a public administrator and active role in in the Minneapolis gay community as a parent, church member, patron of the arts, and civil rights advocate.  Organizational records that document the GLBT community include:  The Women's Coffeehouse Collective (1975-90) - a "chemically-free meeting place for all women which supports and nurtures the social, cultural, and political life of the Twin Cities lesbian community"; Lesbian and Gay Interfaith Council of Minnesota (1978-87), composed of several religious groups ministering to the gay community; Northland Business Association (1985-88) "gay and lesbian business and professional people...joined together for educational and humanitarian purposes and mutual support"; Out and About Theater (1977-82) - a Minneapolis Theater "committed to a forthright and earnest exploration of diverse expressions of alternative lifestyles"; GAMMA (1978-96) - a social and athletic organization for gay men in the Twin Cities; Minnesota Committee for Gay Rights (1974-84) - documenting its work to pass local ordinances and state laws guaranteeing rights for gays, to combat homophobia and violence against gays, and to educate the public and legislature about GLBT issues generally.
Oral Histories
The Society holds two major oral history projects related to the GLBT community.  "Twin Cities Gay and Lesbian Community Oral History Project, 1993," contains interviews with people connected with the local gay/lesbian community from the 1940s to the advent of AIDS in the early 1980s.  Narrators recount early impressions of what they thought homosexuality was, personal expreiences of how they came to terms with their sexuality and the social environment they experienced in the Twin Cities.  Interviewees: Richard Bosard, Dennis E. Miller, Koreen Phelps, Ashley Ann Rukes, Allan Spear, Leo Treadway, Jean-Nicholas Tretter, Kerry Woodward.  "Not Waiting for a Cure Oral History Project, 1994-1995," documents Minnesota's response to AIDS from personal and sociopolitical perspectives, through the memory of those working in and lost to the epidemic.  Interviewees:  Grace Arrington, Kiran Belani, Sharon Day, Cindy Hawkins, Agnes Leitheiser, Sister Joannes Lucid, William Main, Cynthia Mayeda, Steve Moore, Frank S. Rhame, Roy Schmidt, Rev. Vincent Schwahn, Patrick Scully, David Swarthout, Pat Thayer, Robert E. Tracy, Violetta, John Weiser, Shirley Wilson.
Library
The Library holds and continues to collect magazines and newspapers published by and for the GLBT community - for example, Equal Time (1984-94), Infront Directory (1995-present), Lavender (1995-present), Official Pride Guide (1989-present), Twin Cities Gayzette/The Free Voice/The Uptown Voice (1971-72), Bi the Way (1993-98), The GLC Voice (1979-88), Minnesota positive:  HIV monthly newsletter (1993-present), GAB Skinny (1995-present), Twin Cities Gaze (1985-92).  The Society holds microfilm editions of virtually every English-language newspaper printed in Minnesota - an unparalleled resource for the study of any community.  Researchers will also find many reports, such as the 1975 HumanRights Issues: Fair Employment for Gay People...by the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions, and Northstar Project:  Out and Counted:  A Survey of the Twin Cities Gay and Lesbian Community, 1988, by the Gay and Lesbian Community Action Council.  Among the books related to Minnesota GLBT people are Kurt Chandler's Passages of Pride:  Lesbian and Gay Youth Come of Age (1995), Mary Borhek's My Son Eric (1979), David Brudnoy's memoir Life is Not a Rehearsal (1997), Reclaiming the Heartland: Lesbian and Gay Voiced from the Midwest (1996).  The Society documents the cultural life of the state, including fiction by GLBT authors.  Ellen Hart's award-winning Jane Lawless mysteries are just one example.
Art Collection
The Society's collection of more than 6,000 paintings, prints, and drawings includes works by GLBT artists, such as Mark O'Leary (1953-93), an accomplished painter who contracted AIDS in his thirties and found it necessary to work on a small scale with colored pencil on paper as his illness progressed.  Several of his works are in the Art Collection, and his papers are in the Society's manuscript collection.
Sound and Visual Collections
The Sound and Visual collection at the History Center holds hundreds of photographs relating to GLBT people in the state of Minnesota.  These include portraits of individuals and scenes of group activity.  Portraits are indexed by name of the person, and other photographs are arranged by subject category.  In addition, the separately cataloged Thom Higgins Photo Collection contains a wealth of images of the Twin Cities GLBT community, and the Brian Coyle manuscript collection (see above) contains a large number of photographs as well.  The Society also collects sound recordings and moving images such as Stay With Me - Ellen Anthony's documentary on state legislator Karen Clark.
Museum Artifacts
The Museum Collections department at the Society documents GLBT Minnesotans through acquiring and cataloging three-dimensional artifacts.  These artifacts reflect "famous" events and people, but even more the ordinary lives of ordinary people.  Objects relating to the LGBT community range from a guerilla theater costume used in a Twin Cities demonstration against a meeting of the Beran League in the 1980's to a business card from the local office of ACT UP, with the tag-line "Where is Your Anger?"  Other objects include dozens of buttons - those promoting political campaigns and causes (supporting Alan Spear and Al Oertwig campaigns, and opposing the 1978 referendum to repeal the St. Paul Human Rights ordinance) and those commemorating events (Gay Pride festivals, Out and About Theater's first production, "Minnesota Leather Encounter '91").  There are banners here (one that hung in the Women's Coffeehouse Collective, and one carried by Gay & Lesbian Youth Together in Pride parades) flyers ("FTM-A Transsexual Journey from Female to Male" st the Minnesota Fringe Festivalin 1995 is just one), even a deck of cards - a souvenir of the 1969 New year's celebration at the Happy Hour Bar.  The collections include the announcement for the wedding of David Fey and Michael Putnam in Minneapolis, and the commemorative "stone wall" erected at the state capitol in 1989 during the "St. Paul:  Celebrating the Struggle" rally.  These and other objects are available for research by appointment.  Call the department at 651-296-8071, Monday through Friday.
Collecting interests:
Materials relating directly to Minnesota
Use requirements:
Open to the public.  Users must provide a picture ID for registration purposes and agree to abide by the general use policies of the Society.  Some specific collections may have access restrictions imposed by the donor.
Services:
Research space, reference assistance on site, copying services, telephone reference, audiovisual facilities, internet reference, exhibition loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All published collection material (with the important exception of newspaper titles) is cataloged in OCLC and the regional OPAC PALS (accessible on the web via the Society's web site).  All manuscript and state archives collections are cataloged in RLIN/NUCMC and in PALS.  Each collection also has a paper finding aid available in the research library (some of these finding aids are linked to their respective PALS records).  The photo collections are accessible through an in-house card catalog; this catalog is currently being converted to electronic form, and is accessible through the Society's web page.  The artifact collection is cataloged on an in-house database, available by appointment; some of the artifacts are also cataloged in PALS.
 
 

NEVADA
 

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Address: James L. Dickinson Library, Special Collections
Box 457010
Las Vegas, NV 89154-7010
Phone: (702) 895-3954 Fax: (702) 895-1078
Contact: Carol A. Corbett, Archivist
Email: corbett@nevada.edu
Internet addresshttp://library.nevada.edu/speccol/index.html
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Tue,Thu: 9 am - 9 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Special Collections Department was founded in 1965 to combine rare books, Nevada collections, and gaming collections. The Lesbian and Gay Archives was acquired in 1986 (not a separate facility, only a focus for collecting).
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 51 ft.
Organizational records: .5 ft.
Printed material: 18 ft. periodicals
Objects/ephemera: 20
Film/Video/Sound: 1 ft.
Other holdings/notes: posters

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Nevada: manuscripts and some periodicals, 1955-1997; National: some periodicals, 1974-1997.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
AIDS, bars--Las Vegas, business, child molesting, drag, entertainers, First Desert States Gay/Lesbian Conference, Las Vegas Gay Archives, Lesbian Gay Academic Union, Lesbian & Gay Pride Coalition, Metropolitan Community Church, mormons--gay, Nevada Gay Times, Nevadans for Human Rights, politics--gay--Nevada, pornography, prostitution, religion, and social events--gay.
Collecting interests
Any materials (except ephemera) pertaining to Nevada.
Use requirements
Anyone may use the collections during regular hours.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aid to manuscript collection, typed inventory alphabetically by subject.
 
 

NEW JERSEY
 

Rutgers Special Collections
and University Archives
Location: Rutgers University Libraries
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Phone: (908) 932-7006 Fax: (908) 932-7012
Contact: Edward Skipworth
Email: edskip@rci.rutgers.edu
Internet Address:   http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/spcol/spcol.htm
Hours: During regular school year: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat: 1-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Founded as a manuscript and rare books repository in the 1940s, the division for Rutgers University Records began in 1962 and has expanded into collecting New Jersey materials generally.
Information about holdings
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
New Jersey, 1969-1989.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Rutgers University Lesbian and Gay Alliance (13 ft.); New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition (3.5 ft.).
Collecting interests
Papers of New Jersey individuals and organizations.
Use requirements
Materials are open to the public.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Card catalogs, typed finding aids, most manuscript records are in RLIN.
News about collections
New acquisitions are noted in the Journal of Rutgers University Libraries, published twice a year.
 

NEW YORK
 

Human Sexuality Collection
Location: Rare and Manuscript Collections
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-5302
Phone: 607-255-3530 Fax: 607-255-9524
Contact: Brenda J. Marston
Email: bjm4@cornell.edu
Internet addresshttp://rmc.library.cornell.edu/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm all year; Sat: 1-5 pm when classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters. Out of town visitors should verify hours before they visit by calling or emailing rareref@cornell.edu.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Human Sexuality Collection's mission is to build and promote the use of an extensive collection of primary sources on social and political aspects of human sexuality. We document lbgt politics and lives and the politics of pornography on a national level. Our collecting is guided by an interest in how definitions of sexual identity shift over time and the way in which personal choices and public discourse about sexuality evolve. We pay particular attention to under-documented people and issues, in the interests of making the historical record more complete, and we welcome input from activists and researchers about issues that need to be documented.
The HSC aims to work in cooperation with other repositories and people to promote interest in preserving the history of sexuality and to identify and find appropriate archival homes for important primary sources.
The collection began with Bruce Voeller's 1988 gift of the Mariposa Education and Research Foundation archives and an endowment from David B. Goodstein (Cornell '54). Cornell University's Board of Trustees approved the library's commitment to the new program. The mission and history are described in a printed brochure and on our web site.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 88 collections
Organizational records: 22 collections; with manuscripts, 637.6 cubic ft. total.
Printed material: over 5,000 books; 200 non-U.S. periodicals; 1,150 U.S. periodicals.
Clippings/vertical files: only as part of manuscript collections and organizational records
Objects/ephemera: art and ephemera are cataloged as manuscript collections (e.g. RLIN records: NYCV89-A124, NYCV94-A200 through A206; NYCV95-A111)
Film/Video/Sound: 99 videos; 29 films; 90 tapes; plus items contained within manuscript collections and organizational records.
Photographs: contained within manuscript collections and organizational records

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Current holdings are primarily from 1950 on. Open to adding earlier material. The geographical focus is on the United States. Will also collect international periodicals, U.S. citizen's international activities, and materials with a regional focus on upstate New York.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbian, bisexual, gay male, and transgendered people and politics, especially national organizations and personal papers. Strong subjects: personal impact of AIDS; lbgt activism, from 1970s lesbian feminism and gay liberation through 1980s AIDS activism and on; lbgt people of color; pro- and anti-pornography activism, and samples of lbgt erotica and porn; families of lbgt people; lbgt publishing.
People: Brian McNaught; James M. Foster; H. Lynn Womack; the Goldstaub family; Phil Zwickler; Robert Garcia; Rosa Von Praunheim; Brent Nicholson Earle; Perry Brass; Robert J. Leach; Kristin Esterberg's oral history project; Roey Thorpe's oral history project; David B. Goodstein; Bruce R. Voeller; Robert Roth; Harry Langhorne; Robert Lynch; David P. McWhirter; Jean O'Leary; Alice Reynolds; Richard Schlegel; Joseph Albertson's films; Michael Scherker; Thomas J. Collier; Chasen Gaver; Larry Bush; Gordon Martin; David Patrick McIntosh; George Fisher; Michael L. Williams; Matthew Wolfe; Perry Deane Young.
Organizations: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; National Lesbian and Gay Health Association; Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, national office; Gay Media Task Force; Fund for Human Dignity; Advocate Research and Education Foundation; Big Table; Gay Publishing Company; Lesbian and Gay Congressional Staff Association; National Socialist League printed miscellany; PWA Health Group; Senior Action in a Gay Environment; American Psychological Association's Division 44, Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues; Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley, New York; New York State Lesbian and Gay Lobby; AIDS Work of Tompkins County, NY; Elysian Fields Booksellers.
Art work of note: Don Bachardy's Mariposa Portrait Series.
Collecting interests
Same as holdings described above. Open to input from activists and researchers about new issues that should be documented.
Use requirements
Open to the public. Researchers register upon first visit, showing a valid photo ID. Registrations are kept confidential.

Comments about access/use:
Web site contains information on access.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
The Rare and Manuscript Division is committed to providing access to the collections through tours and instruction. We welcome opportunities to meet with classes and other groups. Instructors who wish to integrate primary sources into student assignments are encouraged to contact the Head of Public Services. Staff can also aid in searching a variety of national online resources and locating materials available in other libraries.
Staff organize and participate in conferences and events that promote discussion and research in these areas. Cornell's LBG Studies and Women's Studies programs provide an exciting environment for researchers.
Access and use of the materials is a priority. We catalog and process collections as soon as possible, and we will allow use of uncataloged and unprocessed materials. Because the division's collections are unique and often fragile, they are housed in secure stacks with carefully controlled temperature and humidity. Items will be retrieved upon request for use in the Reading Room.
Reproductions: Research materials may be photographed or photocopied on request, depending upon physical condition and any donor or copyright restrictions. There is a charge for these services.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All manuscript collections are described in RLIN soon after they arrive. These descriptions are downloaded to Cornell's online library catalog (available through http://www.library.cornell.edu/). Most collections have more detailed guides available for use in our reference room; we will photocopy these guides upon request. Most periodicals are now cataloged, and descriptions are in Cornell's online catalog. A growing portion of our books also can be found in the online catalog. We have a complete bibliography of the nonfiction books published prior to 1973 and listings of our pulp fiction. We will provide photocopies of these lists upon request.
News about collections
Periodic letter to friends of the HSC, web site, and press releases. Staff share news about the collection at academic, professional, and political conferences and meetings.
 
 

Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center
National Archive of Lesbian and Gay History
Location: 208 West 13 Street
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 620-7310 Fax: (212) 924-2657
Contact: Rich Wandel
Internet address:   http://www.gaycenter.org/archives/index.htm
Hours: Mon, Thu: 6-9 pm, or by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: difficult but possible; happy to make accommodations needed for the differently abled.
History
The National Archive of Lesbian and Gay History is a program of the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center. The archive was founded in 1988 by Rich Wandel at the request of the center's Board of Directors.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 100 ft.
Organizational records: 50 ft.
Printed material: 150 ft. of periodicals
Clippings/vertical files: 30 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 10 ft.
Film/Video/Sound: 12 ft.
Photographs: 12 ft.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Mostly the eastern United States in the second half of the 20th century. Periodicals cover the entire United States and some foreign countries.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Includes the papers of AIDS activist Michael Callen, Meridian Theater co-founder Terry Helbing, author Darrell Yates Rist, gay activist Marty Robinson, copies of FBI files on gay organizations in the early 1970s, the death row papers of R. A. Sullivan, personal papers of Washington resident James R. Perry, and many New York City GLBT organizations including early records of the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee, Gay and Lesbian Youth of New York, and the Chelsea Gay Association. Several photographic collections document the LGBT community. These include the Leonard Fink Collection images of the New York City piers in the 1970s and 1980s, and the Richard Wandel collection documenting the early political activity of the Gay Activists Alliance. For additional information, see the Summary Guide to the Collections.
Collecting interests
We collect LGBT materials from all times and places. We collect all forms of material except books. The center has a separately operating lending library that does accept books.
Use requirements
The Center Archive is for use by the entire community. No one will be denied use of materials based on race, color, creed, sex, or sexual orientation, nor will restrictions be based on political views or affiliation, age, academic credentials or the lack thereof. The center will make every reasonable effort to accommodate those who wish to use the archive.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Lecture series, walking tours, and speakers for local groups.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collection level Summary Guide (available from the repository); folder level finding aids, local MARC database and records in RLIN.
News about collections
Summary Guide is updated from time to time; the center publishes a newsletter Center Voice, which includes information on the archive as well as on other center programs.
 
 

The Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation
Location: 127 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012
Address: 131 Prince Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 673-7007 Fax: (212) 260-0363
Contact: Wayne Snellen, Sal Monetti
Internet addresshttp://www.3wnet.com/corp/Leslie_Lohman
Hours: Galleries open Tue-Sat: 1-6 pm; archival material available by appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
Founded in 1990 by Charles Leslie and J. Frederic Lohman, the foundation was established to preserve and protect lesbian and gay art that may be endangered because of censorship, prejudice and misunderstanding. The foundation maintains an archive to manage and preserve a permanent collection including biographical information about artists.
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 3 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 21 ft.
Film/Video/Sound: some video
Photographs: some
Other holdings/notes: approx. 250 works of art (painting, drawing, photography, prints, sculpture)

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The holdings cover 20th century lesbian and gay art worldwide.
Collecting interests
Gay/lesbian erotic art and information on artists, any time or place.
Use requirements
By appointment.
Services
Research space, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collection is currently being cataloged.
News about collections
A newsletter highlights additions to the collection.
 
 

The New York Public Library,
Center for the Humanities,
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Location: Room 328 (reading room)
Address: Fifth Avenue & 42nd Street, Room 324
New York, NY 10018-2788
Phone: Reference: 212-930-0801; Curator: 212-930-0804 Fax: (212) 302-4815
Contact: Mimi Bowling, Curator of Manuscripts
Email: Reference: mssref@nypl.org; Curator: mbowling@nypl.org
Internet addresshttp://www.nypl.org  (parent); gay info:  http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/igic.html
 http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/mss.html  (divisional info including some finding aids)
Hours: Tue, Wed: 11 am - 5:45 pm; Thu-Sat: 10 am - 5:45 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
NYPL first gave serious consideration to documenting g/l/b/t history in the mid-1980s. G/l/b/t history became a major area of collection development in 1988 with the acquisition of the International Gay Information Center Archives, previously a community based archive. The documentation of AIDS and HIV was added to the division's mission in 1989. Since the late 1980s, approximately 35 collections pertaining to g/l/b/t history and culture, and to AIDS and HIV, have been added. In 1994 the library mounted a major exhibition, "Becoming Visible," to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Holdings summary
A guide with more detailed information is available on the web
 http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/igic.html , or in paper form (free).
International Gay Information Center Archives. The IGIC Archives operated as a community-based repository until 1988, when the organization's directors gave the collection to The New York Public Library. Series I, Organizational Records and Personal Papers, 81.5 feet (1944-1991), includes the records of the Mattachine Society of New York, Gay Activists Alliance, Gay Switchboard and other organizations; and the personal papers of Arthur Bell, Billy Blackwell, Perry Brass, Walter Porczak and others. Series II, Audiovisual Materials, over 300 items (ca. 1970-1983) consists primarily of audiotapes and approximately forty videotapes. Series III, Periodicals, approximately 2,000 separate periodical titles comprising over 150 feet (1953-1989), includes publications from forty-seven states and twenty-seven countries. Series IV, Books, an estimated 4,000 volumes (mostly post-1950), includes works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, biography and erotica, primarily in English. Series V, Ephemera, approximately 150 feet (mostly 1969 - present), consists of printed material (such as flyers and mailings) from approximately 400 organizations worldwide; articles and other printed materials topically arranged; posters and artwork; postcards, comic and coloring books, and artifacts; and t-shirts, banners, and buttons. Most of the collection is now available for research with the exception of a small quantity of unarranged ephemera and unprocessed recent additions that are not accessible, and a few files that have been closed for a period of time to protect the privacy of living (or presumed living) individuals, or at the request of the donors.
Related Collections in the Manuscripts and Archives Division, processed:
Topics/organizations documented include lesbian and gay rights, the National Gay Task Force, Thirteenth Moon (feminist literary journal), Gay Men's Health Crisis, and living with and fighting against AIDS. Donors include authors, activists, photographers, editors, historians, health administrators, and people with many other occupations. The collections document the lives of famous and lesser-known lesbians and gay men.
Leo Adams Papers, 1928-1952, .9 ft; David Louis Bowie Diaries, 1978-1993, 1 ft; Howard Brown Papers, 1924-1974, ca.8 ft; Aaron Cohen Papers, 1979-1989, .17 ft; Diana Davies Collection, ca. 1969-1989, 2.3 ft; Day Without Art (NYPL) Collection, 1994-1995, .83 ft; Martin Duberman Papers, 1917-1992, 37 ft; Stuart Edelson Papers, 1966-1993, 4 ft; David Feinberg Papers, 1976-1994, 10 ft; Fierce Pussy Collection, 1991-1994, .2 ft; Israel David Fishman Papers, 1970-1994, 3 ft; Rudy Grillo Collection, 1970-1989, ca. 1 ft; Doris Grumbach Papers, 1939-1995, 33 ft; Jonathan Ned Katz Papers, ca. 1947-1995, 25.5 ft; Arthur Johnson Papers, 1980s-1990s, .75 ft; Lawrence Mass Papers, 1966-1995, 14 ft; Martin Michel Collection, 1963-1984, .5 ft; Jack Nichols Papers, ca. 1965-1993, .4 ft; Harold Pickett Papers, 1965-1988, 3 ft; Craig Rodwell Papers, 1940-1993, 7 ft; Vito Russo Papers, 1969-1990, 3.5 ft; Lester Q. Strong Papers, 1941-1996, 9 ft; Thirteenth Moon Records, 1973-1982, 27 ft; James Turcotte Papers, 1969-1992, 1.5 ft; Donald Vining Papers, 1926-1996, 3 ft.
Recently received collections, in process: ACT UP/NY Records; Bradley Ball Papers; Charles Boultonhouse and Parker Tyler Papers; Copy Berg Papers; Ted Cronin Collection; Gay Men's Health Crisis Records; Dorothee Gore Papers; Gran Fury Collection; Karla Jay Papers; Arnie Kantrowitz Papers; Morty Manford Papers and Jeanne Manford Papers; People With AIDS Coalition Records; and Women's Action Coalition (WAC) Collection.
Collecting interests
Personal papers, organizational records, and ephemera, particularly from New York and the Northeast U.S. region.
Use requirements
ID required to obtain reader's card for Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room.

Comments about access/use:
Additional access information available via web site: http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/mss.html
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Phone reference limited to brief inquiries.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids vary considerably. There are brief entries for most g/l/b/t collections in the Library's on-line catalog, CATNYP (via web site, above); most also have finding aids available on-site or remotely, on paper or floppy disk. A few relevant finding aids are mounted on divisional web page (see above). All of the books in the International Gay Information Center Archives are cataloged in CATNYP.
News about collections
Handout titled "Gay and Lesbian Collections; AIDS/HIV Collections," available free in paper and on web, revised whenever new collections are acquired or when they become available for use.
 
 

The New York Public Library,
Performing Arts Library,
Billy Rose Theatre Collection
Location: 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 870-1637 Fax: (212) 787-3852
Contact: Bob Taylor, Curator
Email: theatrediv@nypl.org
Internet address:   http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/the/the.html
Hours: Mon, Thu: 12-7:45 pm; Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat: 12-5:45 pm; closed Sun. Videotape viewing in the TOFT Archives is by appointment only, Mon-Fri: 12-5:30 pm; Sat: 1-5:30 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Theatre Collection was established as a separate unit of the New York Public Library in 1931. It was elevated to full research division in 1945, and was officially named the Billy Rose Collection in 1979.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: Original set, costume and lighting designs

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
International in scope, with an emphasis on the performing arts scene in New York.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
"Theatre" is broadly defined to include not only live drama and musical theatre, but also film, television, radio, circuses, wild West shows, puppetry, pageants, magic, vaudeville and burlesque, and cabaret performance.
Holdings include the papers of playwright-director Charles Ludlam, director A. J. Antoon, librettist Michael Stewart, producer Ken Harper, and writer-performers Tom Keegan and Davidson Lloyd, among others. The work of major artists such as Antoon, Michael Bennett, Ludlam, and Larry Kramer, among others, are represented in the New York Shakespeare Festival/Joseph Papp Archives (in progress). Other collections that contain materials related to gays and lesbians include the Chamberlain and Lyman Brown Collection (in progress), and the Off-Off Broadway Collection, which documents, season-by-season, the work of small theatre companies in New York City.
The Theatre on Film and Tape (TOFT) Archive holds videotapes of New York stage performances, regional productions, and dialogues with prominent theatre artists. Among those gay and lesbian writers whose works are represented in the TOFT archives are Terrence McNally, Jon Robin Baitz, Paula Vogel, Craig Lucas, Tony Kuschner, Harvey Fierstein, Charles Ludlam, Holly Hughes, and Martin Sherman. One-person shows by David Drake, Dan Butler, and Colin Martin, as well as performances by companies like Split Britches and Ridiculous Theatrical Company are represented. Holdings also include numerous works with gay themes and characters.
Collecting interests
The Theatre Collection exhaustively collects all formats of materials related to theatrical performance, from all times and geographical areas.
Use requirements
Anyone may use the collection during open hours. Collections in process are not available for study. Some items may require 24-hour turnaround time for retrieval.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Collection level records for archival collections are available via RLIN and CATNYP (Catalog of the New York Public Libraries Research Divisions) on the web. Finding aids providing folder level information are available on-site. CATNYP also provides catalog records for all post-1972 books, and for more recent scripts acquisitions. On-site, researchers should consult book, card, and catalog records for complete holdings.
News about collections
The New York Public Library's annual report lists major acquisitions by the various research divisions.
 
 

The New York Public Library,
Performing Arts Library,
Dance Collection
Location: 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 870-1657 Fax: (212) 799-7975
Contact: Madelaine M. Nichols
Email: mnichols@nypl.org
Internet address:   http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/dan/dan.html
Hours: Mon, Thu: 12-8 pm; Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat: 12-6 pm. No appointments.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Dance Collection is a part of the Research Libraries of The New York Public Library. Together with collections in music, recorded sound, and theater, these divisions form the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center.
Holdings summary
In the past twenty years, many gay and lesbian dancers have become outspoken about their sexuality and how it affects their creative work. Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Rudolf Nureyev, Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, and the Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are perhaps the best known names of this period of candor. Other distinguished contemporary performers who identify themselves as gay or lesbian include Ann Carlson, Pat Graney, Neil Greenberg, DanceNoise, Ishmael Houston-Jones, and Tim Miller.
Materials in the Dance Collection that provide a view of their works and opinions include performance videotapes, oral history recordings (650 hours) and transcripts, photographs (65,000), 20,200 programs, and 800 posters. Also documenting gay and lesbian artists are 130 feet of manuscripts, 40 feet of organizational records, 7,500 books, 5,200 folders of clippings (reviews, press releases, feature articles from mass media and specialized non-dance sources), 5,200 film and videotape titles, and 350 reels of microfilm. Documentation is strongest in 20th century America, Asia, and Europe, but there is worldwide coverage of the 17th century to the present and some earlier.
In the early years of this century, Serge Diaghilev (d.1929) with his Ballets Russes, led by the great male dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, provided a western European focus for gay art of the highest standards. The Astruc Papers, approximately 1,300 items, cover the earliest years of Diaghivev's arrangements to introduce Russian opera and ballet to Paris. The extensive book and periodical literature on the Ballets Russes is well represented in the Dance Collection's general holdings, along with many original photographs, particularly of Nijinsky.
In modern dance, Ted Shawn was the first important male dancer, and founded a performing group, the Men Dancers, who toured America extensively in the 1930s Their working home was the farm at Jacob's Pillow. Beginning with the Men Dancers' public demonstrations, the Pillow became a leading summer performance and teaching venue that continues today, and has nurtured artists such as Mark Morris. Shawn's long career is documented by extensive manuscript and photographic collections.
Transgendered performance is the norm in several theatrical traditions ranging from the Kathakali of southwest India, to modern Japanese Kabuki theater, to the women who sometimes danced male roles in 19th century ballet. These traditions are documented in prints, photographs and videotapes, and discussed in articles and books.
The Dance Collection has recorded oral histories with dance artists since the 1960s. As AIDS became a significant presence in the dance community during the 1980s, the collection realized that artists who would normally record an oral history at late middle age might need to be reached much earlier. Outreach to the dance community produced a number of requests for interviews, and the project continues. Chris Komar and Arnie Zane are among the interviewees who have since died of AIDS related illnesses.
Collecting interests
Must be primarily focused on dance. Photographic, print, audio, manuscript, and moving image materials. No costumes. Networking with other repositories in the Dance Heritage Coalition helps place materials appropriately in those cases when inclusion in the Dance Collection, or only in the Dance Collection, is not the best location.
Use requirements
Must have a research interest.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
A search in the computerized catalog of the heading "homosexuality and dance" leads to 55 specific items and may serve as a starting point. However, a knowledge of specific names of interest is necessary for research in depth. There is Internet access to the online catalog; there is a CD-ROM publication Dance on Disk, and the entire catalog is in RLIN.
 
 

The New York Public Library,
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Location: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037-1801
Phone: (212) 491-2225 Fax: (212) 491-6760
Contact: Diana Lachatanere
Internet address:  http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/scm/marb.html
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Schomburg Center is part of the New York Public Library.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 32.5 ft.
Organizational records: 1 ft.
Printed material: approx. 100 volumes
Clippings/vertical files: 3 ft.
Photographs: 2,431 images
Other holdings/notes: 6 microfiche

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1930s to the present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Melvin Dixon, Assotto Saint, Joseph Beam, and Glenn Carrington.
Collecting interests
Black gay and lesbian life, any time period, geographical area, all formats.
Use requirements
No requirements for general collection, valid identification required to use special collections.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Internet reference is limited.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids, accession sheets and container lists, MARC records in RLIN, OCLC, and local database.
 
 

NORTH CAROLINA
 

Duke University Special Collections Library
Address: Box 90185
Durham, NC 27708-0185
Phone: (919) 660-5822 Fax: (919) 660-5934
Contact: Linda McCurdy
Email: specoll@mail.lib.duke.edu
Internet address:  http://odyssey.lib.duke.edu
Hours: Mon-Thu: 9 am - 9 pm; Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat: 1-5 pm. Summers and vacations, Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat: 1-5 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Manuscript Department was established in 1931, and the Rare Book Department was formally organized in 1942. Between 1989 and 1992 the two departments combined to form the present Special Collections Library.
Information about holdings
Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Primarily 20th century. Most papers are from Southeastern U.S. Collecting interests include papers documenting activism, and literary papers.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (Archives and Serials collection), Lesbian Pulp Novel Collection, John Addington Symonds Papers, 1870-1894 (bulk, 1889-1892; 12 items), Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance Archives and Periodicals Collection, 1972-1994 (archives: 18,000 items, periodicals: 33,750 items), Julia Penelope Papers, 1966-1994 (25,000 items), and North Carolina Lesbian and Gay Health Project Archives.
Collecting interests
LGB activism in southeastern U.S. LGB literature in southeastern U.S.
Use requirements
Patrons must show identification.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.

Other services/notes:
Exhibitions occasionally.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
On-line public catalog, OCLC records, published guide to the collections (1980), and in-house finding aids.
News about collections
LGB collections are advertised in The Broadside, our newsletter, along with other collections.
 
 

OHIO
 

Northeast Ohio Lesbian/Gay Archives
Location: Western Reserve Historical Society
10825 East Blvd.
Cleveland, OH 44106
Address: Lesbian/Gay Community Services Center
1418 W. 29 Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 721-5722 Fax: (216) 721-5702
Contact: Kermit J. Pike
Hours: Tue-Sat: 9 am - 5 pm
History
Established in 1991 as a collaborative project of the Lesbian/Gay Community Services Center and the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 2 collections
Printed material: 3 periodical titles
Film/Video/Sound: some

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Northeastern Ohio, 1970s to present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbian/Gay Community Services Center of Greater Cleveland, and the Gay Educational Awareness Resources Foundation.
Collecting interests
Materials relating to the greater Cleveland area.
Use requirements
Admission to library is free to members of the Western Reserve Historical Society, others must pay an admission fee. Collections have minor restrictions.

Comments about access/use:
Individual memberships are $25.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are available.
 
 

Ohio Lesbian Archives
Location: c/o Cincinnati Women's Building, Room 304
4039 Hamilton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Phone: (513) 541-1917
Contact: Karen Phebe Beiser and Victoria Ramstetter
Email: phebe4325@aol.com
Internet address:   http://www-lib.usc.edu/~retter/ohiomain.html
Hours: Tue: 6-7:30 pm, and by appointment.
Wheelchair Access: no
History
Begun in 1978 by the staff of DINAH, a local lesbian newsletter, the collections were housed in a private apartment and open by appointment only. On August 27, 1989, the collection moved to its permanent home in the Cincinnati Women's Building.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 20+ collections of women's papers
Organizational records: 4 ft.
Printed material: 120 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 17 ft.
Objects/ephemera: 500 items
Film/Video/Sound: 9 ft.
Photographs: hundreds of photos
Microfilm: yes
Other holdings/notes: yes

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
All material is post WWII with the most extensive holdings covering the 1970s. The focus is on Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, but the archives includes national, and some international, books and periodicals.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Lesbian Activist Bureau (1970s), Crazy Ladies Bookstore and Center, Stonewall Cincinnati, Muse (women's choir), DINAH (Newsletter), A Room of One's Own (Indiana bookstore), Sisterspirit (Mississippi), The Ladder (periodical 1966-1972: partial run), Victoria Ramsetter (local author/activist), Juana Maria Paz, interview with Just for Now (women's band), and taped speeches of Z Budapest, Alix Dobkin, Sonia Johnson, and Minnie Bruce Pratt.
Collecting interests
Lesbian materials relating to the Cincinnati tri-state area.
Use requirements
All collections are open.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, Internet reference (email/web), and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
There are indices for several years of the area lesbian newsletter DINAH. An inventory of the vertical file and books is in progress.
News about collections
Newsletter.
 
 

Popular Culture Library
Address: Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43569
Phone: (419) 372-2450 Fax: (419) 372-7996
Contact: Alison Scott
Email: ascott@bgnet.bgsu.edu
Internet address: http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/pcl/pcl.html
Hours: Academic year Mon-Thu: 9 am - 9 pm; Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; Sat: 1-5 pm; Sun: 4-9 pm. Hours vary during semester breaks, summers and holidays.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Popular Culture Library was created in 1969 within the main library of Bowling Green State University, to support the university's programs in cultural studies.
Information about holdings
Printed material: approx. 1,250 book and periodical titles scattered throughout the collections

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
LGBT materials include westerns, erotic stories, science fiction, underground comics, alternative press publications and others.
Collecting interests
Any material falling within popular culture in 19th and 20th century American culture.
Use requirements
Must have valid photo ID and complete registration form.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, and telephone reference.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
All cataloged materials are on OCLC. There are finding aids and guides for uncataloged collections.
News about collections
Collection announcements are sent out for major new additions.
 
 

PENNSYLVANIA
 

The Andy Warhol Museum
Location: 117 Sandusky Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Phone: (412) 237-8300 Fax: (412) 237-8340
Contact: John W. Smith
Internet address:   http://www.clpgh.org/warhol/archives
Hours: By appointment.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Andy Warhol Museum, one of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, was founded in 1989 as a joint venture among the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Dia Center for the Arts. The Warhol Museum, which opened to the public in May 1994, is administered by the Carnegie Institute.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 1,500 ft.
Printed material: 100 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: 50 scrapbooks
Film/Video/Sound: 4,000 items
Photographs: approx. 10,000
Microfilm: Interview magazine

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
The collection's main concentration is material, ca.1950-1987. The collection is international in scope but focuses on New York City.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Andy Warhol, New York art world, 1960-1980s; Interview magazine.
Use requirements
Open to the public.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Item level inventories exist for the processed part of the collection, but have not been put in a searchable database.
 
 

University of Pennsylvania
Archives and Records Center
Location: North Arcade
Franklin Field
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6320
Phone: (215) 898-7024 Fax: (215) 573-2036
Contact: Gail M. Pietrzyk
Internet addresshttp://www.upenn.edu/AR/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
Wheelchair Access: no, but researchers in wheelchairs can be accommodated by transporting papers to another university building.
History
The Archives and Records Center was established in 1940.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 4 cubic ft.
Organizational records: 51 cubic ft.
Printed material: 1 ft.
Clippings/vertical files: .5 cubic ft.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Philadelphia, especially University of Pennsylvania, 1740 to the present.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Samuel Hadden Papers, 1918-1988, psychotherapist in group practice 'curing' the homosexual. Christian Association Records, 1857-1990, are more gay friendly and include the establishment of various LGBT groups on campus.
Collecting interests
Materials that relate to the university and to the university community.
Use requirements
Registration and identification are required.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Finding aids are available, including records in RLIN.
 
 

RHODE ISLAND

Brown University Special Collections Department
Location: The John Hay Library
20 Prospect Street
Providence, RI 02912
Address: Brown University, Box A
Providence, RI 02912
Phone: (401) 863-1512 Fax: (401) 863-2093
Contact: Mark Brown, Curator of Manuscripts
Internet address:   http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/University_Library/general/libraries/hay.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9-5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The university was founded in 1764.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: yes
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: ephemeral propaganda, treated archivally
Objects/ephemera: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: approx. 83 cubic ft. total.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
20th century U.S.A.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
John Preston's On Our Backs magazine
Collecting interests
Preferably American literature or history.
Use requirements
Valid photo ID required. Note: requirements for using GLBT material differ from those for using other material at the repository.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, exhibitions, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Local on-line catalog, accessible via gopher or web; RLIN; OCLC (bibliographic information); also finding aids.
 
 

TEXAS
 

Archives of the Episcopal Church
Location: 606 Ratherview Place
Austin, TX 78705
Address: PO Box 2247
Austin, TX 78768
Phone: (512) 472-6816 Fax: (512) 480-0437
Contact: Mark J. Duffy, archivist; Jennifer Peters, reference archivist.
Internet address:   http://episcopalarchives.org/index.html
Hours: 9:00 AM - 4:45 PM, M - F, please call for an appointment
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Integrity, Inc. Collection, the National Steering Committee for Human Sexuality Dialogues: Human Sexuality Survey Questionnaires Collection, and records of the National AIDS Memorial, Inc. are part of the larger Archives of the Episcopal Church.
Information about holdings
Organizational records: 32 cubic ft.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
National coverage, 1974 - 1995.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Integrity, Inc. Collection, 14 cubic ft.; National Steering Committee for Human Sexuality Dialogues: Human Sexuality Survey Questionnaires Collection (NSCHSD:HSSQ), 16 cubic ft.; records of the National AIDS Memorial, Inc. (NAM, Inc.), 2 cubic ft.
Collecting interests
Mission Statement, Nov. 4, 1993, ". . .records created by and about the Episcopal Church, related Anglican bodies, and individual Episcopalians. . ."
Use requirements
See comments below.

Comments about access/use:
The archives' policy is as follows. Open records: material dating from more than 30 years ago and in good physical condition and that do not have specific restrictions. Confidential records: material dating from the past 80 years that includes personnel records or documents containing sensitive information. Restricted records: material dating from the past 30 years that includes privileged communications of the creating church agency. Such material may be restricted beyond 30 years; special access may be granted when release of the information serves an essential public interest or a vital personal need.
[The collections described above all date from the past 30 years and therefore are not yet open records. Check with the archivist regarding use.]
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, and telephone reference.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Computer database of collection holdings available for staff use only.
News about collections
The archives is developing a newsletter that will occasionally feature articles on recent accessions.
 
 

Happy Foundation
Address: c/o Gene Wesley Elder
411 Bonham Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 227-6451
Contact: Gene Wesley Elder
Hours: By appointment only.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
Gene Elder founded collection in 1988. There was no predecessor. Mission statement: "The archives is dedicated to furthering the intellectual and artistic awareness in the gayBLT [sic] community."
Information about holdings
Organizational records: yes
Printed material: yes
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Objects/ephemera: yes
Film/Video/Sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: none

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
1969 to present, Texas and U.S.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
The Happy Foundation collects everything but has a special interest in art.
Collecting interests
No collecting policy.
Use requirements
Call for appointment.
Services
Research space, copying, exhibitions, and telephone reference.
 
 

Johnson Gay and Lesbian Historic Archives
and Research Center
Location: 2701 Reagan at Brown
Dallas, TX 75219
Address: PO Box 190869
Dallas, TX 75219-0869
Phone: (214) 528-9254 Fax: (214) 522-4604
Contact: Amy Hardin
Email: fhulib@ix.netcom.com
Internet addresshttp://www.fhu.org
Hours: librarian available approximately Mon-Fri: 9 am - 6-7 pm. Posted hours are Mon-Thu: 9 am - 9 pm; Fri: 9 am - 4 pm; Sat: 10 am - 6 pm; Sun: 12-2 pm.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Phil Johnson Historic Archives and Research Library was given a room of its own in 1994 within the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Community Center. The space allotted is too small to hold all donated material so that "a good deal" of the collection resides in the home of Phil Johnson.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: approx. 5 masters theses
Organizational records: one or two organizations (ca.1 ft.)
Printed material: 2,000 books; various issues of journals; at least 10 complete journal sets.
Clippings/vertical files: small amount
Objects/ephemera: 30-40 items; flags, t-shirts, etc.
Film/Video/Sound: 30 records; 20 videos
Photographs: 200 images, mostly dealing with the agency.
Microfilm: none
Other holdings/notes: none

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
WW II to present; mostly Dallas area, but some items from Texas and the rest of the U.S.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Don Baker, Phil Johnson, and John Thomas; records of the Circle of Friends, Dallas' first homophile organization; pride marches are documented along with "important" court cases; journals include This Week In Texas [TWIT], Advocate, and Dallas Voice.
Collecting interests
Any LBGT-related area and in any format but space is severely limited at this time.
Use requirements
Books, videos, and audio: fill out form; magazines, journals, memorabilia and reference materials must be used on premises, no form required.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and borrowing privileges for individuals.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Online catalog of MARC records for books; journals in card catalog.
News about collections
The Gay & Lesbian Community Center publishes a newsletter in which archives/library information periodically appears.
 
 

University of Texas at San Antonio
Location: Archives for Research on Women and Gender
Special Collections and Archives Department
801 South Bowie St.
San Antonio, TX 78205-3296
Phone: (210) 458-2385 Fax: (210) 458-2386
Contact: Archivist: Jill U. Jackson
Email: arwg@lonestar.utsa.edu
Internet address:  http://www.lib.utsa.edu
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 4: 30 pm, by appointment only. Hours may change; please inquire.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Archives for Research on Women and Gender was begun in 1992 to collect, preserve and make available for research primary source materials related to women and gender in Texas. A goal for the archives is for the holdings to represent the diversity of South Texas, including ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, economic means, and social status.
Holdings summary
Cynthia and Linda Phillips papers (8 ft.). The Phillips are a transgender couple and gender movement activists who are coordinators of the Boulton & Park Society in San Antonio and founders of the Texas "T" Party. Materials focus on education about and civil rights for transgender persons. The collection includes printed material from the International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy.
Texas Lesbian Conference (1 ft.). Primarily printed materials and organizing records from the annual conferences, which began in the late 1980s and are held in San Antonio.
WomanSpace (.5 ft.). The longest continuously published women's community newsletter in San Antonio, 1988 - present.
Collecting interests
The archives is actively collecting materials related to women and gender in South Texas. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons and organizations are included in this collecting focus. We do not accept textiles, paintings, or monotypes in oil or any other media, or large artifacts that require specialized housing. We are best equipped to preserve paper and photographic media, and small ephemera items.
Use requirements
Researchers must agree to follow the rules of the archives and provide a form of ID.
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, and Internet reference (email/web).
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
The collections described above are not yet processed (as of August 1997). When processed, there will be a full finding aid (folder-level description, brief bio/history, and scope and content) available on the Internet and in print. All processed collections are also cataloged in the UTSA Library's on-line catalog (UCAT) and OCLC.
News about collections
New information is available on our web site. Irregular announcements are made in journals, newsletters, and listservs.
 
 

Women's Collection
Address: Blagg/Huey Library
Texas Woman's University
PO Box 425528
Denton, TX 76204-5528
Phone: (817) 898-3751 Fax: (817) 898-3764
Contact: Dawn Letson
Email: s_letson@twu.edu
Internet address:  http://venus.twu.edu/www/twu/library/wmcopy.html
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8 am - 5 pm
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
The Woman's Collection was established in 1932 at the suggestion of one of the university's presidents. Since then, the collection has grown into one of the nation's major collections on the history of women.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 1 collection (14 cubic ft.)
Organizational records: 1 collection (15 cubic ft.)
Printed material: 73 journals; 300 books.
Clippings/vertical files: 5 files

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
20th Century; Texas women only.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Texas Gay/Lesbian Task Force: see guide, record number A95.380. Keys, Kay Elaine (1947- ): see guide, record number A91.129.
Collecting interests
Texas women and Texas women's organizations only.
Use requirements
Open to researchers.

Comments about access/use:
A large number of books are available on Interlibrary loan; all other materials must be used in the library's reading room
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), loan agreements for exhibits, and borrowing privileges for individuals.
 
 

WASHINGTON
 

University of Washington Libraries,
Manuscripts and Archives
Address: Box 352900
Seattle, WA 98195
Phone: (206) 543-1879
Contact: Karyl Winn
Email: mssarch@u.washington.edu
Internet addresshttp://www.lib.washington.edu/Manuscripts/
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am - 5 pm; shorter hours during academic quarter breaks.
Wheelchair Access: yes
History
No formal founding, but gay and lesbian material has been a collecting focus since ca.1993. Associated with Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project.
Information about holdings
Manuscripts: 28 cubic ft.
Organizational records: 1 cubic ft.
Clippings/vertical files: yes
Film/Video/Sound: sound: yes
Photographs: yes
Other holdings/notes: Oral histories.

Time periods/geographical regions documented:
Bulk: 1960s-1995; primarily Western Washington, especially the Seattle area.

Significant People/organizations/subjects documented:
Gay and lesbian (and anti-gay) political activity, Seattle Gay Alliance, Dorian Group, Mattachine Society of Los Angeles, John M. Eccles, Jody Aliesan literary manuscripts, Hands Off Washington Campaign (1994), and the Hidden History project.
Collecting interests
Recent papers and records of sexual minorities in the Greater Seattle area and in Western Washington.
Use requirements
Varies depending on donor instructions. Public access to bulk of LBGT records.
Services
Research space, copying, audiovisual facilities, reference assistance on site, telephone reference, Internet reference (email/web), and loan agreements for exhibits.
Indices, finding aids, collection descriptions
Inventory/guides to larger accessions. MARC records in currently non-public database with expectation of future OCLC records.
News about collections
Accession reports to Easy Access, the newsletter of Northwest Archivists. Personal contact with Northwest Lesbian and Gay History Museum Project.
 
 

WISCONSIN
 

State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Location: 816 State St.
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 264-6460
Contact: Rick Pifer, Head of Collection Development
Internet address:   http://www.shsw.wisc.edu/archives
Holdings summary
Black and White Men Together, Milwaukee, 2.2 cubic ft.
David E. Clarenbach papers (1974-1992), 7.4 cubic ft. (reflected in the papers is Clarenbach's interest in areas for which he became well known, including AIDS legislation, gay rights, women's issues, and divestiture of state funds in South Africa)
Emergency Committee to Defend the Human and Legal Rights of Political Prisoners (1985-1991), 2.4 cubic ft. (documents the revolutionary network, especially the women's and radical lesbian part of it)
Gay Madison, .2 cubic ft.
The making of walls to roses, 1979 (tape recording re: men's collective interest in gay liberation, other causes)
Terry Murphy papers (1976-1977, 1980), .1 cubic ft. (clippings related to gay activism)
National Coalition of Gay Sexually Transmitted Disease Services records (1985-1990), .4 cubic ft.
Kathleen Nichols and Barbara Constans papers (1975-1979), .2 cubic ft. (partial records of the Madison Committee for Gay Rights)
The United (Madison, Wis.) records (1977-1981) (organized in May 1978 as Madison Gay Men and Lesbians United)
Gore Vidal papers (1888-1994), 60.8 cubic ft. (subject headings include: Ben Hur, homosexuality, Is Paris Burning?, Suddenly Last Summer, Tennessee Williams)
Women's Service Center of Brown County (Wis.) records (1974-1986), .1 cubic ft. (information on lesbian rights)
Allen Young papers (1962-1994) (gay liberation writer and activist; subject headings include: Homosexuality, The gay report, Allen Ginsberg, and Lavender culture: visions of lesbians and gay men)
Use requirements
[None noted.]
Services
Research space, copying, reference assistance on site, and telephone reference.



 

APPENDIX A
 
 

SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS
LESBIAN AND GAY ARCHIVES ROUNDTABLE
 
 

Dear Friend,

I am writing to ask for your assistance with a project to increase awareness of manuscript and rare book collections about gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people. You and many other devoted people across the United States and Canada are working to preserve these important historical resources. The goal of this project is to help make sure that researchers and potential donors can easily find out about your work.

I am writing on behalf of the Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable (LAGAR) of the Society of American Archivists (SAA). SAA, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, provides leadership to help ensure the identification, preservation, and use of the nation's historical record. In 1989, SAA members concerned about the recovery, preservation, and understanding of the history of lesbians, gay men, and their institutions formed LAGAR.

We believe that lesbian and gay men's history is linked to a wide range of behaviors that transgress socially sanctioned boundaries of gender and sexuality. Our historical interest embraces bisexuality, cross-dressing, transsexuality, homosexuality, and a wide range of sexual interests and practice. We expect lesbians and gay men to continue their long tradition of self-labeling, and we are and will be interested in the history of bulldykes, queens, gay women, lesbian feminists, fairies, queers, and people with identities we haven't heard of yet. Currently, we're using the abbreviation LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, trans-gendered) to refer to this range of sexual and gender identities.

With your help, SAA's Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable will publish the first comprehensive guide to primary sources relating to the history and culture of LBGT people held by repositories in North America. LAGAR will also make updated information available, perhaps via the Internet. Growing interest in LBGT history by academic and community researchers alike, demand for material by publishers, and the need to identify responsible repositories during a time of many deaths of early community activists has impelled LAGAR to undertake this project. Although it is assumed that almost every repository in North America has some lesbian and gay material, the aim of this project is to describe for potential researchers and donors those collections considered significant, as well as those repositories with active collecting programs focusing on LBGT material.

You can help this project provide useful information about the people and places across North America working to preserve our history. Please fill out the brief survey enclosed by July , so that we will be able to include accurate information about your collection in LAGAR's guide. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to working with you.

Thank you,
 
 
 
 

SURVEY OF SOURCES
DOCUMENTING LESBIAN, GAY,
BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE

This survey is being conducted by the Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable (LAGAR) of the Society of American Archivists. Our goal is to produce a national guide to manuscript and rare book collections about lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people. Please help us by completing this form and mailing it to:
 

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call or e-mail me:

1. Contact Information
Your organization's full name and contact information (include physical, mailing, e-mail, and web (etc.) addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and names of contact people).

2. History
Who founded this collection or institution? When? Were there predecessors? Is it associated with any other institution or organization? Is there a written objective, mission, or by-laws? (Please attach any written material.)
 

3. Current Holdings: Size and Content
Please answer either section A or B, about the size and content of your current holdings, depending on what best suits your institution/organization. Some people answering this survey are from institutions that also collect in other areas. If you are one of these people, please limit your answers to the LBGT holdings.

A. How much material is there? Please specify the unit(s) of measurement (e.g. number of items, number and size of file cabinet drawers, number and size of boxes, or linear or cubic feet). If you cannot quantify by format, please give a total size and check the formats you have.
Manuscript material (personal papers) Film, video, or sound
Organization's records Photographs
Printed (books, journals, etc.) Microfilm
Clippings or vertical files
Objects and ephemera (key chains, bumper stickers, graffiti, t-shirts, etc.)
Other (please specify)

What specific time period(s) and geographical region(s) do the holdings cover?
 
 

What significant people, organizations and subjects are documented in the material?

B. Please attach a brief summary of the collection (or of each collection) including the quantity, a biography or history, and a scope and content note. If only a portion of a collection documents gay and lesbian history, please be as specific as possible about that portion, especially its quantity, and names of people and organizations, and subjects documented.
 

4. Collection Growth
Is the organization/institution willing and able to assume curatorial responsibility for additional material? In what subjects, time periods, and geographical areas? What kinds of materials (please specify, as in #3A)? (Please attach any written collecting policies.)
 

5. Access and Use (please answer A, B, C, and D)
A. What are the requirements for using the organization's/institution's material?
Are these requirements different than those for using the LBGT material?
Are regular hours maintained for access (please specify when), or is it by appointment only?
Is the site wheelchair accessible?
(Please attach any written access policy.)
 

B. Services (please check all that apply):
Research space Reference assistance on site
Copying services Telephone reference
Audiovisual facilities Internet reference (e-mail/web)
Exhibitions Loan agreements for exhibits
Borrowing privileges for individuals (please specify what kinds of material may
be borrowed)
Other (specify)

C. Are there indices to the collection(s)? Please describe what printed or online indices are available and to what level of detail they describe what portions of the collection (e.g. notebooks with written descriptions, card catalogs, databases, finding aids, MARC records in a local database, RLIN or OCLC, etc.)
D. Updating Collection Descriptions
Does your repository maintain any method for regularly informing researchers of additions to your Gay/Lesbian collections? If so, please describe the method (newsletter, annual report, etc.).
Thank you for helping us gather this important information on LBGT collections!