Creating a Gender-Inclusive Library

With an increase in LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the United States come unfortunate growing pains. In extreme contexts this can result in anti-queer backlash. In other moments it can simply be embodied biases reproducing normative ideas of gender and sexuality at the cost of inclusive access and representation.

Resting at the center of this work are information professionals whose work necessitates that they be keenly aware of social shifts in culture and practice. This work, as is no surprise to actively working librarians, often comes with dangers. To make queer inclusion visible in your library is to run the risk of criticism and even politically fueled budgetary attacks.

While this presentation cannot offer perfect solutions or best practices to engage in queer inclusion, it will explore how information professionals can foster queer inclusion through advocacy and allyship. From navigating book ban issues to incorporating inclusive cataloging practices, this conversation will explore methods for inclusion informed by and centering queer communities.

About the Presenter: 

Dr. Wagner is a lecturer at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies as well as an instructor in USC’s Women’s and Gender Studies Department. Their primary research interests include critical information studies, queer archives, and social advocacy in librarianship. Their recent publications include chapters in Advances in Librarianship; Organization, Representation and Description through the Digital Age, and a forthcoming piece in Ethical Questions in Name Authority Control. Wagner is also the co-creator of the Queer Cola Oral History and Digital Archives Project.

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