The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (or "The Henry Gerber– Pearl M. Hart Library: The Midwest Lesbian & Gay Resource Center"), founded in 1981, is the largest circulating

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

titles in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. Located in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, it houses over 14,000 volumes, 800

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

titles, and 100 archival collections. The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives were inducted into the

Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Chic ...

in 1996. Although a private

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, the library has received taxpayer funds for its continuing operation from Illinois' "Fund for the Future," including a $25,000 grant in 1999.

References

External links

Official Gerber/Hart Library web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerber Hart Library 1981 establishments in Illinois LGBT culture in Chicago LGBT museums and archives Libraries in Chicago Libraries established in 1981 Library associations based in Chicago Research libraries in the United States Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame

References

Further reading

External links