I. Collection Description
Purpose:
The collection supports the teaching and research needs for faculty, students, and scholars in a variety of disciplines across campus, including Anthropology, Community Health, Educational Policy Studies, English, French, Human Development and Family Studies, Kinesiology, Latina/Latino Studies, Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s StudiesThese resources also serve the general and popular interests of students, members of the LGBT community, and the public at large.
This collection focuses on the interdisciplinary aspects of this subject, and serves the needs of scholars and students in many disciplines, departments, and colleges. Given the broad, interdisciplinary nature of LGBT Studies and limited funding, the collection development effort involves the coordination of collection building with faculty and selectors in various disciplines.
History of Collection:
For several years, there has been a small state funded budget for the purchase of LGBT materials. Several fund managers from many departmental libraries acquire relevant materials based on the needs expressed by their faculty and students. The Undergraduate Library also collects some material. Additional material comes in on approval plans, and the collection receives support from various library grant opportunities. As a result, there is a significant, if not unified, collection of lgbt materials.
Estimate of Holdings:
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of lgbt studies, materials are spread throughout the library system. The number of monographs relevant to lgbt studies is difficult to estimate. The UIUC Library does have several of the important contemporary serials such as Advances in Gender Research (series); Archives of Sexual Behavior; Gender and Culture (series); GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies; International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies; Journal of Homosexuality; Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality; and Radical History Review.
State, Regional and National Importance:
Unknown.
Unit Responsible for Collecting:
LGBT Bibliography Committee. Several departmental libraries and the Undergraduate Library also select relevant materials according to their disciplinary responsibilities.
Location of Materials:
Much of the collection can be found in the book stacks. Other libraries with significant holdings include Education and Social Sciences; English; History and Philosophy; and Undergraduate.
Citations of Works Describing the Collection:
Gay and Lesbian Fiction in the Collections of the Libraries of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Compiled by Michael J. Spires. 1991. [Compiled in fulfillment of the requirements for LIS 451].
TransBiblio: A Bibliography of Print, AV, and Online Resources Pertaining to Transgendered Persons and Transgender Issues.
Maintained by Cindy Ingold, Women and Gender Studies Librarian.
II. General Collection Guidelines
Languages:
Primarily English, although the collection does include Western European languages.
Chronological Guidelines:
No restrictions.
Geographical Guidelines:
Emphasis on United States and Europe, but all areas of the world are possible for inclusion.
Treatment of Subject:
Primarily scholarly but also popular treatments. Materials with primary focus on identity development; homosexuality; gays; lesbians; bisexuality; queer theory; transgender issues (including transsexualism, transvestism, gender identity, gender expression, and intersexuality). Materials focus on all aspects of lgbt studies including art; health and medicine; history; legal issues; literature and drama; music; politics; psychology; theory; and work/career issues. These subjects overlap with other collecting areas, especially women’s studies; sociology; psychology; history; and English.
Types of Materials:
Reference works; academic and trade monographs; small press titles, periodicals; videos and DVDs; electronic resources. The Library also collects examples of literature, self-help books, print and visual erotica, pictorial works, and comic books as they reflect our collecting interests in representing our culture and censorship issues. Newsletters, publications of associations and societies, and ephemera are also collected.
Date of Publication:
Current materials, but will purchase important out of print resources.
Place of Publication:
No restrictions, but primarily North America , Europe , and Australia.
Version Date: December 2006