The Desk Set presents: QUE(E)RY

See The Fascinating Evolution of Cover Art From 12 Legendary Queer Books

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:30:32 -0400

See The Fascinating Evolution of Cover Art From 12 Legendary Queer Books:

Looking back at a century of cover designs from all over the world for beloved queer books like Tipping the Velvet, Orlando, The Color Purple, Annie on my Mind, Rubyfruit Jungle and more.

So interesting!

Coverflip: Imagining the covers of books if they were written...

Sun, 12 May 2013 00:30:22 -0400

Coverflip: Imagining the covers of books if they were written by authors of a different gender

Maureen Johnson Calls For An End To Gendered Book Covers With An Amazing Challenge

Books in drag?

queerbookclub: afterellenbookclub: In case all the books...

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:26:44 -0400

queerbookclub:

afterellenbookclub:

In case all the books mentioned in the book club don’t give you enough reading stress, I put together an Ultimate AfterEllen Summer Reading List! It’s split into three parts: all the books from the last year you never got around to; books soon to be released; and classics.

I also created a handy-dandy Goodreads list of all the books I included, although it looks like some folks have already added some books of their own to the list. I’m not opposed to this at all, as I always enjoy a good recommendation, but I do worry about things spiraling into self promotion instead of honest recommendation. (For instance, all the books I included on my original list were genuinely my own recommendations.) And I’m not quite sure how to control or edit the list. So, hey, maybe that’s a lesson learned.

Anyhoo, putting this together was real fun, and I’m hoping to read as many as possible myself this summer, and using an “AfterEllen Summer Reading” tag on Goodreads, for anyone else who wants to play along.

The covers pictured above are just a few selections from the full list - be sure to check out these great picks!

libraryjournal: nypl: The New York Public Library is facing a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:50:53 -0400

libraryjournal:

nypl:

The New York Public Library is facing a $47 million city budget cut that would force cutbacks to key free services that the public relies on, such as programs, classes, library hours, and more. We need your help to stop these cuts! Go to nypl.org/speakout to sign a letter and tell the City that you and your communities need your library (it only takes a few minutes, and you don’t need to live in NYC)! Spread the word, support NYPL, keep libraries strong, and thank you!

Come on folks, sign! You don’t have to be an NYC resident.

Happy Library Week! Que(e)ry’s friends in San Francisco...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:58:00 -0400

Happy Library Week! Que(e)ry’s friends in San Francisco just had a successful party fundraising for the Center for Sex and Culture last Thursday. So we can’t wait to announce Que(e)ry’s next stop on our cross-country tour! We’re Chicago-bound for ALA Annual (and Chicago Pride), and we’re co-hosting a party with Chances Dances on Monday July 1 at Subterranean. All proceeds will benefit the Critical Fierceness Grant and the Leather Archives & Museum. More info soon!

grossnational: Bell Labs, 1970

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:40:36 -0400

grossnational:

Bell Labs, 1970

Troubling the Line

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:19:41 -0400

New Anthology featuring Ari Banias, CAConrad, Jaime Shearn Coan, and more amazing poets you need to discover: http://eoagh.com/?p=1727

thelifeguardlibrarian: With all the excitement, here’s just a...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:18:03 -0400

thelifeguardlibrarian:

With all the excitement, here’s just a note on the history of librarianship and the gay rights movement:

While I did know a bit about librarian activist Barbara Gittings (pictured above and featured here in My Daguerreotype Librarian) and I knew about the American Library Association’s GLBT Round Table, I did not realize the GLBTRT was founded as the very first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender professional organization:

From Wikipedia:

In 1970, the ALA founded the first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender professional organization, called the “Task Force on Gay Liberation”, now known as the GLBT Round Table. In the early 1970s, the Task Force on Gay Liberation campaigned to have books about the gay liberation movement at the Library of Congress reclassified from HQ 71–471 (“Abnormal Sexual Relations, Including Sexual Crimes”). In 1972, after receiving a letter requesting the reclassification, the Library of Congress agreed to make the shift, reclassifying those books into a newly created category, HQ 76.5 (“Homosexuality, Lesbianism—Gay Liberation Movement, Homophile Movement”).”

Today, from ALA:

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Round Table of the American Library Association is committed to serving the information needs of the GLBT professional library community, and the GLBT information and access needs of individuals at large. We are committed to encouraging and supporting the free and necessary access to all information, as reflected by the missions of the American Library Association.

I’m feeling pretty decent about being a librarian today. And a member of ALA, at that. Let’s keep being allies. Let’s keep trying. Let’s try harder. OK?

(And h/t to John Chrastka over at EveryLibrary for enlightening me to all this good stuff.)

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:14:16 -0400

Hi! I'm a big fan of Que(e)ry and I'm wondering if you ever collaborate with emerging theatre and dance companies focused on social justice. I am working on a dance play and accompanying workshop series that address relationship abuse in queer communities. Can you help us spread the word? Our show is at WOW Cafe May 9-11, and we're having a sneak preview/workshop/networking event on April 8. Thanks for considering!

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 22:53:03 -0400

Hi there, glad to hear you are a fan and feeling flattered. we would be happy to help spread the word, send us a link?

<3 Tara (random queery librarian logging in to the tumblr on Friday night).

Rhizome: A Queer History of Computing

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:19:00 -0400

Rhizome: A Queer History of Computing:

We are looking forward to reading more…

Story Time Reading List

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:00:05 -0500

Thanks to everyone who came to Story Time with the Que(e)ry Librarians last night at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division! And thanks also to our lovely readers. We had a great time and hope you did too.

For those who asked, here’s a list of the selections we heard last night, with links to worldcat to help you find a copy in a local library or bookstore:

“Ill Fit” from The Aversive Clause by B.C. Edwards (forthcoming)

Daddy, Papa, and Me by Lesléa Newman (2009)

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1904)

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai (2011)

The Whale Who Wanted to be Small by Gill McBarnet (1985)

Freak Show by James St. James (2007)

Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox (1966)

“Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat” from How They Met, and other stories by David Levithan (2008)

We hope you’ll support BGSQD and these authors! We hope to have more events like this in the future, so stay tuned.

Join the Que(e)ry Librarians for Story Time at the Bureau of...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:01:00 -0500

from The Song of the Library Staff, 1906

Join the Que(e)ry Librarians for Story Time at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division! Friday, March 1, at 7:00pm, 27 Orchard St.

Gather around and hear queer literature for children and young adults, read by librarians and authors (to be announced), enjoy some ~~kool-aid and animal crackers~~ beer and wine, and browse the bookstore! More info, RSVP on Facebook

theartofgooglebooks: Circulation slip stamped “WITHDRAWN /...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:46:42 -0500

theartofgooglebooks:

Circulation slip stamped “WITHDRAWN / WITHDRAWN.”

From the back matter of Early Childhood by Margaret McMillan (1900). Original from the New York Public Library. Digitized June 17, 2008.

malindalo: The Top 10 titles on the American Library...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:00:12 -0500

malindalo:

The Top 10 titles on the American Library Association’s 2013 Rainbow List, recognizing GLBT books for children and teens.

(Including my own Adaptation! Yay!)

(ETA: And The Letter Q, which I and many other writers are in!)

The 2013 Over the Rainbow Project book list, sponsored by the...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:09 -0500

The 2013 Over the Rainbow Project book list, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA), has just been decided at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting in Seattle.

This year’s list includes 84 titles published between July 1, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2012, which the committee felt exhibit literary quality and significant authentic lgbt content and are recommended for adults over age 18. more…

The 2013 Stonewall Book Awards were announced today by the Gay,...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:02:00 -0500

The 2013 Stonewall Book Awards were announced today by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle.

The Stonewall Book Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience and include the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature award and the Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award. The awards will be presented to the winning authors or editors at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago in June. more…

Two Que(e)ry librarians dropped by The Bureau Wednesday night to...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:45:06 -0500

Two Que(e)ry librarians dropped by The Bureau Wednesday night to pick up the latest Issue of FAQNP (Issue_05 The Education of the Queer Nerd).

Going above and beyond traditional coming-of-age (and coming out) narratives, the latest issue of FAQNP takes look at the young queer sponge (namely, Queer nerds in their early stages of development who absorb as much queer culture as they can get their hands on). Luckily, for the devout Queer Nerd, this sponge phase never leaves. If you know what I’m talking about you will love this zine.

FAQNP is edited by Ray Cha and designed by Erich Nagler. This issue has a decidedly old-school librarian theme that is complemented by the best shades of pink and mauve.

If you missed out on this event, you are in luck - The Bureau is the pop-up Queer book store of your wet dreams and it is open until the end of February! You may think you have seen it all, but will find something new in this queer shop of abundance-from zines, art books, the latest by prolific Sarah Schulman, queer literary journals, calendars with nudity, and much much more. And of course, the latest issue of FAQNP! The shop operates decent hours Tuesday through Sunday and has an incredible lineup of events for the upcoming month (Stacy Szymaszek is giving a reading!!).

My Daguerreotype Librarian: Barbara Gittings

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:00:33 -0500

My Daguerreotype Librarian: Barbara Gittings:

mydaguerreotypelibrarian:

Barbara Gittings was a librarian, gay rights activist, and editor of lesbian magazine The Ladder, published by the Daughters of Bilitis. She marched with Frank Kameny in Washington DC, she helped get the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and she…

Photo

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:00:23 -0500