“An inheritance to be managed”: LGBTQ+ and Feminist Community Libraries in a Book-Challenging Time
My Session Status
What:
Talk
When:
2:25 PM, Friday 24 Apr 2026
(20 minutes)
Where:
Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre
- RF-130 Salon Loyola Alumni
As LGBTQ+ books are continuously among the most challenged in North American libraries, I present LGBTQ+ and feminist community libraries as both stewards of these resources and safe spaces for their users. The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) at McGill University is home to one of these community libraries. Findings from my interviews with UGE Library users indicate that the library acts as a third space, fills an information gap, and is valued by users based sheerly on its existence. In this presentation, I consider the role of the UGE Library and similar community libraries in a book-challenging time.