Document Type
Article
Abstract
This paper presents results from a participatory action research study with 46 LGBTQIA+ community leaders and 60 library workers who participated in four community forums at public libraries across the US. The forums identified barriers to LGBTQIA+ communities addressing their health questions and concerns and explored strategies for public libraries to tackle them. Forums followed the World Café format to facilitate collaborative knowledge development and promote participant-led change. Data sources included collaborative notes taken by participants and observational researcher notes. Results revealed that barriers experienced by LGBTQIA+ communities are structurally and socially entrenched and require systematic changes. Public libraries must expand their strategies beyond collection development and one-off programming to meet these requirements. Suggested strategies include outreach, community engagement, and mutual aid initiatives characterized by explicit advocacy for LGBTQIA+ communities and community organizing approaches. Public libraries can readily adopt strategies overviewed in this paper for LGBTQIA+ health promotion.
Publication Info
Postprint version. Published in Journal of Documentation, 2023.
APA Citation
Kitzie, V., Vera, A. N., Lookingbill, V., & Wagner, T. L. (2023). “What is a wave but 1000 drops working together?”: The role of public libraries in addressing LGBTQIA+ health information disparities. Journal of Documentation, 80(2), 533-551. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1564&context=libsci_facpub