This volume brings together twenty-seven narratives authored by twenty-nine librarians, all of whom identify as being part of the LGBTQ community. At least one of the six parts–trajectories (or coming-out stories), sex and the institution, the rest of the rainbow (beyond L and G), coming out in time, coming out in place, and coming out in the field—will hit home with any reader.
Baring their souls, the authors inspire as they educate, not only on individual
scenarios but on the lives as LGBTQ librarians throughout the United States.
Whether just starting out and searching for a type of library and environment, seeking a career change, or pondering the right time to come out LGBTQ people will benefit from this book. It covers not only the personal issues but
also the history of librarianship as related to LGBTQ persons and topics, domestic partnerships, and attitudes toward LBGTQ.
Similar to first person narratives in Daring to Find Our Names edited By J. V.
Carmichael (Greenwood, 1998) and Liberating Minds edited by N. G. Kester (McFarland, 1997), this is the first collection in over 10 years that demonstrates the changing times and attitudes not evidenced earlier because of changes in the past decade.
Contributors include the well-known such as Ellen Greenblatt and the unknown such as a pseudonymous legislative librarian.
This is a must read for any professional collection, and would work well as additional readings for any library school course addressing diversity.
Reviewer: [s.n.]
I work in a public library as a para and identify myself as “gender fluid.” This was such a great read. It was informative and comforting. The book should be in every library school library, as well as college libraries and large public library systems.
[…] (I’m following citations like a hawk!) and in ways less amenable to measurement. One of the reviewers of Tracy Nectoux’s book notes that the collection was “comforting.” I think he […]