The Rainbow Round Table (RRT) of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

(ALA) is dedicated to supporting the information needs of

LGBTQIA+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is an ...

people, from professional library workers to the population at large. Founded in 1970, it is the nation's first gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender

professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the ...

. While the current ''Rainbow'' moniker was adopted in 2019, the group has had various names during its 50-year history. One of the core values of the organization is to reflect the diversity of the United States by "providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities" being served.

History

Originally established as the Task Force on Gay Liberation, part of ALA's Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT), the group was coordinated by

Israel David Fishman Israel David Fishman (February 21, 1938 – June 14, 2006) was the founder of the Task Force on Gay Liberation. Early life Israel David Fishman was born on February 21, 1938, in Westerly, Rhode Island, the son of Minnie C. and Benjamin Fishman. The ...

in 1970, then by

Barbara Gittings Barbara Gittings (July 31, 1932 – February 18, 2007) was a prominent American activist for LGBT equality. She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) from 1958 to 1963, edited the national DOB magazine ''The Ladd ...

the following year. Among its earliest endeavors, the Task Force campaigned for changes to the classification of library materials regarding the

gay liberation movement The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii. ...

. In the case of the

Library of Congress Classification The Library of Congress Classification (LCC) is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress in the United States, which can be used for shelving books in a library. LCC is mainly used by large research and academic librar ...

, materials had been designated to the scheme (HQ 71) for "Abnormal Sexual Relations, Including Sexual Crimes"; but after receiving the request from the Task Force, the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

in 1972 reclassified such books into the newly created scheme (HQ 76.5) for "Homosexuality, Lesbianism—Gay Liberation Movement,

Homophile Movement The homophile movement is a collective term for the main organisations and publications supporting and representing sexual minorities in the 1950s to 1960s around the world. The name comes from the term ''homophile'', which was commonly used by the ...

". The group became the Gay and Lesbian Task Force (GLTF) in 1986. ''

American Libraries ''American Libraries'' is the flagship magazine of the American Library Association (ALA). About ''American Libraries'' was first published in 1970 as a continuation of the long-running ''ALA Bulletin,'' which had served as the Association’s ...

'' featured the group on the cover of its July/August 1992 issue, drawing both criticism and praise from the library world. Some critiqued the cover as being "in poor taste" and accused the magazine of "glorifying homosexuality", while others voiced support of the editorial decision. Christine Williams, who wrote an essay about the controversy surrounding the cover, concluded that in the mid-90s, the library world was "not an especially welcoming place to gays and lesbians." The group became the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Task Force (GLBTF) in 1995, then the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) in 1999, a name change that endured for twenty years.

Awards and book lists

The Task Force established the

Stonewall Book Award The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S. They are sponsored by the Rainbo ...

in 1971, recognizing titles of exceptional merit relating to LGBTQ+ life. The first award was given to ''

Patience and Sarah ''Patience and Sarah'' is a 1969 historical fiction novel with strong lesbian themes by Alma Routsong, using the pen name Isabel Miller. It was originally self-published under the title ''A Place for Us'' and eventually found a publisher as ...

'' by

Isabel Miller Alma Routsong (November 26, 1924 – October 4, 1996) was an American novelist best known for her lesbian fiction, published under the pen name Isabel Miller. Early life Alma Routsong was born Elma Louise Routsong in Traverse City, Michigan, on ...

. In 2008 the GLBTRT compiled the inaugural Rainbow Book List of recent titles for children and teens. The effort expanded in 2010 to a list of Over the Rainbow Books, annual bibliographies of titles of interest to LGBTQ+ adults. Both lists assist librarians selecting materials for their local collections.

Rainbow Book Month

Observed annually in June as a celebration of queer stories and authors, Rainbow Book Month was originally established in 1992 by the

Publishing Triangle The Publishing Triangle, founded in 1988 by Robin Hardy, is an American association of gay men and lesbians in the publishing industry. They sponsor an annual National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, and have sponsored the annual Triangle Awards prog ...

as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month. In 2015 the GLBTRT assumed oversight of the event, renamed GBLT Book Month. Efforts to increase the visibility of queer library materials include promoting the Rainbow Book and the Over the Rainbow Books lists, marketing on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

, and providing tools to library workers. In 2020 the month-long observance became Rainbow Book Month.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.ala.org/rt/rrt
Open to All: Serving the GLBT Community in Your Library
(2015)
Rainbow Round Table News
American Library Association LGBT and education LGBT organizations in the United States American librarianship and human rights 1970 establishments in the United States

History

Awards and book lists

Rainbow Book Month

See also

References

External links