GLBTQ Collections are for Every Library Serving Teens‪!‬

According to the American Library Association (ALA) Library Bill of Rights, librarians must locate and provide good materials in all areas of interest to all patrons, including young adults. Your library serves teenage members of the GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning) community, but you may not know it! The Census 2000 reveals that GLBTQ people live in all communities across the United States (Simmons & O'Connell, 2000). This means libraries in any area of the country cannot argue that they do not serve a GLBTQ population, even if members of the GLBTQ community aren't requesting books and services in their libraries. Teens, reluctant to ask for information, make it easy for some librarians to believe that there is no demand or need for these materials, but research shows otherwise. Five to six percent of U.S. teenagers, or about two and a half million teens, identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Additionally, Martin and Murdock estimate about eighty percent of teens know someone who is GLBTQ (Martin and Murdock 2007, xi). Given these figures, it is more than likely that teens from all communities might have an interest in GLBTQ materials. THE INVISIBLE MINORITY