A library outing

Earlier today I was working the desk when one of our children's librarians approached me about where she might direct someone who was looking for books on sexuality/sexual orientation. My shift was ending, so I volunteered to go into the stacks to talk with the customer to do a more thorough reference interview. I was expecting a teenager, but it was actually an adult woman who has written a book for GLBTQ teens. She was meeting with a designer to work on a cover, and she wanted to have an idea of how books for teens looked. 

I spent about 15 minutes with her and ended up giving her the ALA Rainbow List from 2013, information about Tulsa's Pride Center (the 2nd largest in the U.S.), and information about marketing your book to the Tulsa City-County Library. She was really grateful, but the interaction really boosted my spirits. I was thinking of how important that kind of book is for a questioning teen, and I was reminded once more that we are here to help people construct meaning, to think about the big questions, to get an alternative point of view. Reminded me of why I became a librarian. 
Hillary, librarian

Well, Hillary just about writes my reflection for me, tying this interaction with the larger meaning of libraries in helping people construct meaning: The Big Questions.

One's own sexuality is a pretty Big Question, of course, and the library as an institution has been firmly on the side of the good in this debate, as it (mostly, eventually) was in race relations. As in: we respect and equally serve all people no matter their fill-in-the-blank: in this case, sexuality.

Regarding GLBTQ (gay lesbian bisexual transgender questioning) people, especially teens -- who are much more likely to be victims of crime, depression and suicide -- it is the right and ethical thing to find ways to make them feel safe and welcomed in the library. (They may not have many other places to go where they will be treated fairly.)

There are many ways to do this -- from specific training of library staff to answer questions about GLBTQ issues to holding "rainbow family" storytimes (something the Sacramento Public Library does regularly) to participating in local Gay Pride events.

Another is to ensure that our collection has plenty of materials about the GLBTQ experience, either in fiction or nonfiction.

And to have dedicated librarians like Hillary who understand the importance of taking an extra 15 minutes -- on her own time! -- to talk with anyone about these issues and connect them with other welcoming organizations.