Modern gay and lesbian libraries and archives in North America: a study in community identity and affirmation

Reviews the development of the gay and lesbian movement. The theoretical foundations for gay and lesbian archives and libraries are discussed, together with the way in which their mission statements reflect concerns for their history, heritage and the need to correct the past neglect of the gay and lesbian role in society. The problems faced by the archives and libraries include funding and that they rely mainly on volunteer help. Much of the pre‐1960s material is in danger of deterioration and of being lost since there is not adequate cataloguing and listing of documents. There is a need for national databases of collections, networking, and digitisation.