Libraries as venues for LGBTIQ youth this article has drawn my attention to the lack of visibility our library has to support the LGBTIQ community in our local area. Public libraries are a place where people are safe, a place where you are welcomed and can gather with other LGBTIQ people and know you are not alone is a positive difference in young people’s lives (Day, 2013, p. 49). As a public library in a rural area, with a high youth suicide rate, the library would make an ideal venue for supporting and welcoming the LGBTIQ young people. This article raises awareness and provides examples of how the library can ensure LGBTIQ youth access information. Partnerships with the local groups working in the community such as Baylin’s Gift are committed to educating young people with depression, gender identification and suicide awareness. Although the library does support the programs by displaying event posters, I think more can be done. Read Baylin’s story just one of many young people who have committed suicide in our local area.
Individual librarians can make a difference in LGBTIQ library users without much cost, by labelling a rainbow on the spine of materials to increase visibility (Day, 2013, p. 47). We do have red labelling on our Aboriginal Collection for easy identification of items. The library website could have links to sites such as Twenty 10 gay and lesbian counselling service of NSW, this site has a wealth of resources. I had not heard of this organisation, and I have attended youth suicide and mental health workshops in the area conducted by local organisations and schools. There must be regular communication with social services, welfare, Police Citizens Youth Clubs, and youth services groups to be aware of new trends, developing social problems that will help reach young adults who do not normally visit the library (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), 2020, p. 7).
There may be times when selecting the right pronoun when addressing LGBTIQ becomes embarrassing for staff. Selecting pronouns to align with a person’s identity demonstrates a commitment to welcoming the LGBTIQ as some language can be hurtful (Hixson-Vulpe, 2017, p. 4). At a meeting highlighting partnerships with libraries, Price in her video starts with introductions, including their gender pronouns. For me, using the right pronoun is a significant way library staff show respect to LGBTIQ young people. Our library does have transgender borrowers, and I always use their name when interacting with LGBTIQ patrons. This does highlight the problem of restrooms in the library, as they are signed as men or women, I feel the library should have a unisex restroom for LGBTIQ patrons and fathers wishing to take a young female child to the restrooms. This can be overcome by having all-gender washrooms.
I have enriched my understanding of young LGBTIQ people. I am more aware of how the library can play an important role in the community and hopefully save some young people the anguish of finding their place in society. From researching this article and others, I have become aware of how the library can change to become a welcoming place for all people. Still, there needs more effort to be inclusive and sensitive to the needs of everyone.
References
Day, S. (2013). Libraries as LGBTIQ venues. Gay & Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, 9(1), 46-50. https://search.proquest.com/openview/624ecf82c27a5416a4430ba2baa5f861/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38956
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2020). Guidelines for library services for young adults. https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/libraries-for-children-and-ya/publications/ya-guidelines2-en.pdf
