Presentation Title: The Information Seeking Behaviors and Needs of the LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer Community: Barriers, Risks, and How to Build Queer-Friendly Libraries
Presenter(s): Lindsey Bouchard
Abstract: In wake of recent anti-LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two spirit, etc.) legislation and the subsequent mass domestic migration of Queer persons within the U.S., this presentation identifies the information seeking behaviors and needs of the LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer community. This presentation discusses how intersectionality informs information seeking; how the LGBTQIA2S+ community utilizes the Internet and online information sources; and the barriers and risks associated with LGBTQIA2S+ seeking information, including the anti-Queerness of current cataloging practices. Furthermore, this presentation posits several suggestions on how libraries and information centers may welcome Queer patrons into their online and offline spaces through visible Queerness (displays, events, etc.), LGBTQIA2S+ identifying or trained staff, and the active preservation and sharing of Queer stories.
Link to Recorded Presentation: https://youtu.be/W51I509QZ1Y
Lindsey, thank you for sharing your research! I appreciated learning the barriers to information this community faces and then also learning ways information professionals can work to build queer-friendly libraries.
Hi Joy! Thank you for taking the time to view my presentation and comment. I’m so glad that you enjoyed learning more about the Queer community. As someone who is non-binary, transgender, and pansexual—I know first-hand the struggles LGBTQIA2S+ people face when trying to gain access to information. Researching the community was both enlightening and affirming. If you’re interested, I did another presentation during the course of my research which focused on the Queer community’s relationship with various emerging technologies, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/B1lrJK0LOfM?si=EDFjLTerf3-1gikq
Thank you, I look forward to checking it out!
Hi Lindsey,
Great presentation! I can relate to some of the barriers and risks mentioned. I love the specific suggestions you proposed on how libraries can truly address the information concerns for this community. I look forward to learning more from the sources you shared. Thank you for sharing your research!
Hi Allison! Thank you so much for viewing my presentation and taking the time to comment. I also related to a lot of the barriers and risks identified by Kitzie et al. (2022). And I love action-based research, so I’m glad that you enjoyed my suggestions. If you want help finding or accessing any of the sources I used, don’t hesitate to reach out. If you’re interested, I did another presentation during the course of my research which focused on the Queer community’s relationship with various emerging technologies, which you can find here: https://youtu.be/B1lrJK0LOfM?si=EDFjLTerf3-1gikq
I enjoyed this presentation. Important work being done and relevant to the ideas and acts of our Conference’s first Speaker Dr. Bharat Mehra.
Dr. Bushey