Library Associate University of Florida Smather's Library
Poster will be an examination of the preliminary findings of a research project surveying American Archives and how they collect, catalogue, and make accessible their LGBTQ materials. I will provide graphs of some of the more obvious conclusions from the survey, as well as text explaining the findings. Poster will be part of a series of presentations on this topic this year, and will draw on outside research as well as discussions gained from other presentations. The subject is topical as certain forces attempt to shove LGBTQ+ history back into the closet. One of the ways we can combat this is by making sure our archival materials are as accessible to researchers as possible and are being used in productive outreach. Before we can create paths forward though, we need to know where we are now. No other large scale study of this type has been completed, and this study will provide a baseline of where American archives are positioned in this respect currently.