Find of the Week (14)

I tweeted yesterday that I found some interesting booty - a cannonball, a pair of ice skates and a WW1 bullet, inside a box. I forgot they had been stored in the basement, they were to form part of an exhibition earlier in the year but in the end they didn't make it into the display cabinets. You might wonder what a cannonball, pair of ice skates and WW1 bullet had in common, nothing, but as individual objects they represented visuals for the written exhibition boards. Finding the objects was an avoidance tactic. I was in the middle of writing a grant proposal and I needed distraction, I found it. I also found a cigarette packet and a small metal tin on my short wander round the basement. Short as in medium sized Carnegie library. The cigarettes were an empty packet of Kensitas extra size, it still had the little piece of silver foil on the inside and a very faint smell of tobacco. I also noticed some numbers faintly stamped on the bottom but I couldn't read them so I'm not sure what they represented. I think it dates back to the late 1940's, early 1950's.

The small  metal tin, Altoids. It sounds more like a disease or dietary straining disorder than a peppermint. I wonder if whoever smoked the cigarettes used the Altoids to mask the tobacco smell.

LGBT 3 - LGBTQ YA Fiction

In a previous post I wrote - Libraries have a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure equal access and equal service provision for all community/minority groups under their umbrella, they may not have an obligation to promote the service however there is a duty to provide resources.
The Scottish Library & Information Council (SLIC) established the Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix (PLQIM), a quality assurance tool which states:
“Libraries must promote inclusion, equality and fairness and work positively with partners to facilitate communities of interest and encourage participation”.
The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) begin their 'sexual orientation and libraries' ‘sexual orientation and libraries’ statement with:
“Libraries exist to meet the information, lifelong learning and leisure needs of all sections of the community, whether heterosexual, bisexual, gay or transgender”.

When looking at LGBTQ YA fiction we must ensure we provide access to resources that are representative of LGBTQ youth today, to enable all to have positive experiences when sourcing reading material. It is very likely that LGBTQ youth make up a proportion of YA using both public and school libraries in the UK and further a field. 

The difficulty for librarians is trying to provide appropriate LGBTQ YA material when supplier selection lists aren’t adequate enough. CILIP state that “mainstream suppliers may hold only limited relevant titles, and therefore care should be taken to make use of wider resources available via specialist bookshops/suppliers”. I'll list some bookshops and publishers later in this post. Filters on educational or council servers don’t allow searching on specific words, file types or url’s, then asking to have them unblocked to be able to searc. Librarians may have to source material in their own time, not their employers. Yes, we all probably do this on a daily basis but if you take into account all the resources we have to source due to a lack of work resources, it leaves little time to give each subject a true representation within our libraries.

So, to find a list of LGBTQ YA fiction.

I’ve been amazed by just how much material is actually out there in relation to YA fiction, I’ve found some great book lists, reviews and blogs. Daisy Porter   is a public librarian who reviews LGBTQ YA fiction. Amanda Rudd is a sci-fi writer and crazed academic who has a list of LGBT YA fiction books. The Trevor Project have a great book and film resource which includes both fiction for LGBTQ youth and non-fiction resources on specific topics including mental illness and self harm. The American Library Association has Rainbow Books , a list released every January (since 2008) of LGBTQ books from birth to 18 years.You can even see the 2012 nominees on their blog.

If you're interested in the research side of LGBT provision then Elizabeth L. Chapman and Briony Birdi have written a report on attitudes to LGBT fiction for children and young people. To find a great list of resources on building collections, services to LGBTQ YA and other research, have a look at Teacher Librarian 2.0 for some great links.

I'm not a subject specialst in LGBTQ YA fiction therefore I searched and discovered two comprehensive LGBTQ ficiton lists, one from a librarian/researcher and the other from a LGBTQ YA author.

List 1 - Liz Chapman - Librarian/Researcher

The list can be found on the right hand side under 'downloads' 

List 2 - Alex Sanchez - author

Searching through the lists and reading blogs and reviews some  authors of note:

Malinda Lo

Paul Ruditis

David Levithan

Megan Frazer 

Lauren Bjorkman

If you are looking for publishers and bookshops supplying LGBTQ fiction the links below may help you:

http://freespace.virgin.net/gays.theword/

http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/categories.php?category=Paperback-Books/Young-Adult-Fiction

http://www.bellabooks.com/

http://www.lorillake.com/glbt_pub.html

www.alyson.com

If you are a school or public librarian and are aware of other fiction resources that I've clearly missed then please leave a comment below.
If you are a LGBTQ YA and have a favourite book please leave a comment.

LGBT 2 - 20 lesbian books on a shelf

20 Lesbian books.

How do you decide on a list of 20 lesbian fiction books? [ 20 that you’d like to see in public libraries]

This list is not a definitive guide to lesbian fiction, it has been put together to highlight the diverse collection of lesbian fiction that is available today, and as an aid to stock selection panels.

Firstly, getting the list of titles down to 20 is hard, deciding on a list that takes in all genres of lesbian writing, is hard. I am one librarian, one lesbian; my selection won’t suit all literary tastes or persuasions. I’m looking on bookcases, under tables, in the dusty recesses of my mind to remember all of the authors I have either read or have listed to read.

There are the classics, the books that will be gathering a thin layer of dust on any self-respecting lesbian’s bookcase. Alongside these will probably be the set of contemporary fiction must haves, and finally, the popular lesbian titles, the ones I often refer to as the chick lit* shelf fillers.

* Not intended to offend any author. The majority of these titles are constantly on  bestseller lists.

In no particular order -

The 20:

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Curious Wine by Katherine V. Forrester

Landing by Emma Donoghue

Mind Games by Nancy M Griffis

Talon by J P Mercer

The Devil Inside by Ali Vali

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Lonely Hearts Club by Radclyffe

Tristian Book 1 –The Clinic by Cate Culpepper

Hunters Way by Gerri Hill

Stir Fry – Emma Donoghue

Safe Harbor by Radclyffe

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterston

Patience & Sarah by Isabel Miller

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

Amongst the books I’ve selected you’ll find crime, sci-fi, fantasy, graphic novel, drama and romance.

If you have a favourite lesbian novel that’s not mentioned then add a comment.

LIBRARIANS - take the challenge: how many of these are available in your area?

Next Blog Post- LGBT 3 - junior/teen/ya fiction -

LGBT 1 - the dormant research proposal

It's been a few years since I wrote my research proposal but I believe some of the references may still be relevant  when looking at LGBT fiction in public libraries. Libraries have a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure equal access and equal service provision for all community/minority groups under their umbrella, they may not have an obligation to promote the service however there is a duty to provide resources.

“Public library services in Scotland are entirely the responsibility of local authorities which have a statutory duty to secure the provision of adequate library facilities for all persons resident in their area” ¹

Scottish Libraries also have the Scottish Library & Information Council (SLIC) an independent advisory body whose members include all local authority‘s in Scotland. They established the Public Library Quality Improvement Matrix (PLQIM) ² a quality assurance tool specially developed to support policies in areas such as health and regeneration. Within the document it recommends that public libraries;

• Libraries must promote inclusion, equality and fairness and work positively with partners to facilitate communities of interest and encourage participation

This list is part of the bibliography I put together when I first started looking at LGBT provision in public libraries, something on the list might be of use:

Cook. J., 2005. Gay and Lesbian Librarians and the ‘need’ for GLBT Library Organizations: Ethical Questions, Professional Challenges, and Personal Dilemmas In and ‘Out’ of the workplace. Journal of Information Ethics 14 (2) pp32-49

Curry. A., 2005. If I ask will they answer? Evaluating public library reference services to gay and lesbian youth. Reference & User Services Quarterly 45 (1) pp65-75

Curry. A., 2000. Collection Management of gay/lesbian materials in the UK and Canada . LIBRI 50 (1) pp14-25

Goldthorp. J., 2007. Can Scottish public library services claim they are socially inclusive of all minority groups when lesbian fiction is still so inaccessible? Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 39 (4) pp 234-248

Greenblatt. E., 2003. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Library Users: Overcoming the Myths. Colorado Libraries v29 (4) pp21-25

Joyce. S,L., 2000. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual library services: a review of the literature. Public Libraries 39 (5) pp 270-279

Norman. M.,1999. Out on Loan: a survey of the use and information needs of users of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Collection of Brighton and Hove Libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 31 (4) pp188-196

O'Leary. M., 2005. Pink perceptions: the information needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender library users as perceived by public librarians and by the LGBT communities within Sheffield UK and Denver CO, USA [Online]. MA, University of Sheffield. Available online: http://dagda.shef.ac.uk/dissertations/2004-05/External/Oleary_Meagan_MALib.pdf

Potts. H., 2003. Searching the Database. A quick look at Amazon and two other online catalogues. Journal of homosexuality 45 (1) pp161-170

 Seborg. L., 2005. Sharing the Stories of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community: Providing Library Services to the GLBT Patron. PNLA Quarterly 70 (1) pp15-17

Thomas.D., 2007. A Place on the Shelf. Library Journal 132 (8) pp40-43

Van Buskirk. J., 2005. Out of the Closet? Library Journal v130 p62

Find of the Week (13)

This find of the week is courtesy of a donation handed into the local history department. An older gentleman handed the find into the library,he had little family and thought the libraries & museums department would be the best place for the find.

The find was inside an old metal tin, wrapped in paper and looked as though it hadn't been looked at for years. The find was a children's medal from 1902, it had the profiles of Edward the VII and Queen Alexandria on one side and the Dumbarton shield (elephant & castle) on the other side with the date 27th June 1902.  

The medal was to celebrate the coronation of Edward the VII in June 1902, however the original coronation date of 26th June had to be postponed as the King had appendicitis, the decision was taken by his consultants that 'at whatever inconvenience to the public, His Majesty's condition rendered an immediate operation necessary', the operation was successfully completed by Sir F. Treves.

In Dumbarton the town has started decorating buildings, setting gas illuminations and decorating homes with flags and bunting. The executive committee arranging the municipal celebrations had to cancel all celebrations including, the school choirs(over 1000 kids), maypole dancing, the regatta, the town procession and the firing of the royal salute.

The coronation was rescheduled and the King was crowned on the 9th of August 1902 at Westminster Abbey.

 In Dumbarton in the weeks leading up to the coronation many of the towns    residents were giving the thought of celebrating the cold shoulder. The town asked for subscriptions towards the funding of the coronation celebrations, the donations were slow in accumulating, however a total of £450 was reached. The town used the funds to put together a programme of festivities for the coronation. They included a religious service, competitions for vehicular and equestrian turnouts, firing of a royal salute, dancing, sports, fireworks and a bonfire.

The town again decorated households and businesses in flags and bunting, the towns bridge was decorated with streamers and the municipal buildings and burgh hall were decorated in flags, gold crowns and shields.

The highlight of the evening celebrations was the electric display at the Leven Shipyard, with ribbons and lights hanging from mast to mast at the quay side.

Chloe's Chemoo Cows

http://chloeschemoocows.com/

Have you ever heard of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma [DIPG]? No. Neither had I until last year. Chloe, to whom the website is dedicated, was diagnosed with DIPG late last summer.

I am honoured to have known Chloe who was courageous, bright, talented, charming and funny. Chloe touched the hearts of all who knew her, her smile could light up a room, she was surrounded by amazing young friends and a fantastic family.Chloe's zest for reading and her ability to make my niece smile, will always be my abiding memories.

Sadly, after fighting the tumour with all her might, she passed away on 16th June 2011. 

In honour of their very talented daughter, her parent Mark & Elaine have set up the charity and website   Chloe's Chemoo Cows  

Mark & Elaine never stopped searching for information on DIPG, and the information they gathered has been used in the creation of the website. There is an excellent explanation of DIPG for all to understand, including symptoms and treatments. 

At the heart of the website are the chemoo cows, each child at the Schiehallion, (Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow) receiving chemotherapy treatment will receive a chemoo cow. The website is also packed full of fun things to do, colour in your chemoo cow, try a chemoo wordsearch or learn some cow jokes, its all on the website.   

To know that their are kids out there gaining a little comfort from Chemoo Cow is a fantastic legacy.

So, in honour of Chloe have a look at the website, try to remember those little Chemoo Cows, just incase, one day, you need to know or someone close to you needs to know information on DIPG.

tech

Found this http://youtu.be/x-9FaJPhFxQ it was uploaded in 2008, what would the figures be now? Just how dependent are we now on technology to live our daily lives. At the moment I've got the pc running, an external hardrive hooked up, my satellite tv recording programs, my smart phone lying by my side, a usb stick plugged in, a kindle beside my bed and I'm not a technolgy geek, in the gadget sense.
It's made me think about those  'when we were kids' posts, back in the days before the mobile phone, the modern pc and the games console. I used to remember the phone numbers of friends and family, when a red phone box was a life saver - now I know 2 numbers and the rest are stored on my smart phone, accessed at the touch of a button of flick of my thumb.To read, I picked up a book, magazine or newspaper, now I plug in a device, flick a switch and have constant news updates. To write to my friends was the only way of communicating long distance, now I text, use social media or email. So, technolgy has changed the way I work, socialise and communicate in 2011.....so what will be added to my collection of social gadgetry over the next few years.
For now, I'm going to turn off my pc, pick up a book and listen to the tick tock of my clock.