Quatrefoil Library

Last updated

Quatrefoil Library
Quatrefoil Library logo.svg
Quatrefoil Library.jpg
Quatrefoil Library as seen from the pavement in front of the building.
Quatrefoil Library
44°56′54.7″N93°15′24.1″W / 44.948528°N 93.256694°W / 44.948528; -93.256694
Location1220 East Lake Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Type Special library
Scope LGBT
Established1983;41 years ago (1983)
Branches1
Collection
Items collectedBooks, magazines, DVDs, VHS tapes
Size15,000+ books
7,000+ DVDs [1]
Access and use
Access requirementsLibrary membership
Members400+ [1]
Other information
Website qlibrary.org

Quatrefoil Library is a member-supported, 501(c)(3) non-profit [2] library and community center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. [3] It is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where it was founded by David Irwin and Dick Hewetson in 1983. [4] It is the second LGBT lending library in the United States, [5] and the oldest such library in the Upper Midwest. [6] In the beginning, it was not only an educational resource center but also a safe space for LGBT people. The library houses over 15,000 books, [1] 7,000 DVDs, a collection of first editions and rare books, [7] and books in braille. [4] It hosts poetry readings, panel discussions, book launches, and other events, open to all.

Contents

The library celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2016. [8] [9]

Early history

The doors of the library officially opened to the public on February 4, 1986. It opened with a significant donation from the collections of David Irwin but afterwards received donations from individuals across the country. Quatrefoil Library shared space with the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union at 1021 West Broadway in Minneapolis. [10] Sixteen months after its opening, the library moved to a bigger building in St. Paul to accommodate the growing collection. [11] Early volunteers and supporters include Jean-Nickolaus Tretter of the Tretter Collection, Tim Campbell who provided ad space in his publication and George Holdgrafer of Lavender magazine. The library published a newsletter, The Gay Bookworm, which was later christened Quatrefolio.

The library took its name from the novel Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel by James Barr. [12] Founding member David Irwin had been so impressed with the positive portrayal of homosexuality, that he insisted on naming their collection the Quatrefoil Library. [13]

In 2013, the library moved to its present site in Minneapolis with twice as much space as it had in St. Paul. [14]

In 2019, the library announced the creation of a scholarship for LGBTQ+ students attending college in Minnesota. [15] In 2021, Quatrefoil switched to a free membership system that enabled anyone to sign up for a library card and borrow materials at no charge. [16] In October 2022, it launched Q Digital, a collection of LGBTQ+ ebooks and audiobooks that can be borrowed by Q cardholders for free. [17]

Mission statement

The mission of the Quatrefoil Library states that, "Quatrefoil Library is a community center that cultivates the free exchange of ideas and makes accessible LGBTQ+ materials for education and inspiration." [18]

Collections

The library's collection includes lesbian periodicals, documentaries, gay-themed posters, pulp novels, fiction, non-fiction, art, and photography books. As of 2007, the volume of the collection included more 14,000 books, 1,040 DVDs, 2,123 VHS videotapes, 500 periodicals and 1,550 pulp novels. [11] The library also houses a collection of rare and out-of-print books. [19]

Conferences

Quatrefoil collaborated with the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies to host the 2006 ALMS Conference, the first international conference on LGBT Archives, Libraries, Museums, and Special Collections in Minneapolis. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT community</span> Community and culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

The LGBT community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.

<i>Lavender</i> (magazine) American magazine

Lavender is a biweekly award-winning print and online magazine, part of Lavender Media, Inc., published in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the LGBTQ+ community. Since 1995, Lavender Media, Inc. has been producing an award-winning glossy magazine and events aimed at the local, national and international lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and LGBTQ-friendly audience. Lavender is published bi-weekly in print, online, iPad and smartphone editions. It is distributed free of charge in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and in some other cities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Stonewall National Museum and Archives is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that promotes understanding through preserving, interpreting and sharing the culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their role in society. It owns and manages a library and archival collection and presents a series of public programs. SNMA has two small exhibition areas with changing exhibitions drawn primarily from its collections. Additionally, SNMA hosts a web-based LGBTQ timeline of American LGBTQ history, launched in 2021 and known as In Plain Sight. Although Stonewall's name is inspired by the Stonewall Inn where the 1969 Stonewall riots took place, the museum and archive has no direct connection with the New York location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Voice Mixed Chorus</span> Musical artist

One Voice Mixed Chorus is an LGBTQ choral organization in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT pride</span> Positive stance toward LGBT people

LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies</span>

The Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies is a collection of LGBT historical materials housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books section of the University of Minnesota Libraries. It is located underground in the Elmer L. Andersen special collections facilities on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. The Tretter Collection houses over 40,000 items, making it the largest LGBT archive in the Upper Midwest and one of the largest GLBT history collections in the United States. The collection, which was created by Jean-Nickolaus Tretter, is international in scope and is varied in media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Minnesota</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the U.S. state of Minnesota have the same rights and responsibilities as non-LGBT people. Minnesota became the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in 1993, protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the fields of employment, housing, and public accommodations. In 2013, the state legalized same-sex marriage, after a bill allowing such marriages was passed by the Minnesota Legislature and subsequently signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. This followed a 2012 ballot measure in which voters rejected constitutionally banning same-sex marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">District 202</span>

District 202 began as a non-profit lesbian and gay youth coffee house in 1992 supported by a start-up grant from the Minneapolis Community Foundation. Over the years it evolved into a thriving LGBTQ | Queer youth community center. District 202's first hire was Michael Kaplan in 1992, who served as the center's first executive director until June 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The OUTWORDS Archive</span> American LGBTQ+ digital archive organization

The Outwords Archive (OUTWORDS) is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles. It records and archives on-camera interviews with elders from the LGBTQ+ community throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives</span>

The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives is a grass roots archive dedicated to collecting, protecting, and conserving lesbian and feminist women's history. The Archives was founded in 1981 as the West Coast Lesbian Collections (WCLC) by Lynn Fonfa and Cherrie Cox in Oakland, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libraries and the LGBT community</span> Library services to the LGBT community

In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of non-heterosexual conforming people of South Asian ancestry, who may identify as LGBTIQGNC, men who have sex with men, or related culturally-specific identities such as Hijra, Aravani, Thirunangaigal, Khwajasara, Kothi, Thirunambigal, Jogappa, Jogatha, or Shiva Shakti. The recorded history traces back at least two millennia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Jenkins</span> American writer

Andrea Jenkins is an American politician, writer, performance artist, poet, and transgender activist. She is known for being the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States, since January 2018 on the Minneapolis City Council and as the council's president from January 2022 to January 2024.

The Archives, Libraries, Museums and Special Collections (ALMS) Conference is an international event focussed on the work by public, private, academic, and grassroots organisations which are collecting, capture and preserving archives of LGBTQ+ experiences, to ensure their histories continue to be documented and share

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Cities Pride</span>

Twin Cities Pride, also known as Twin Cities GLBT Pride, is a nonprofit organization which runs an annual celebration in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota every June focusing on the LGBT community.

Richard LaFortune, also known as Anguksuar, , is a two spirit activist, author, community organizer, and artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. LaFortune was an early organizer of the Native American LGBT community in the 1980s and co-founded the Two Spirit Press Room (2SPR).

Q Monthly was an LGBT news and features publication produced in the Twin Cities from 1994 to 1998. Billed as "the publication for gays, lesbians and bisexuals" in Minneapolis-St. Paul, it first appeared on July 6, 1994, as an insert inside the alternative weekly Twin Cities Reader. Q Monthly won several Vice Versa awards, given to outstanding LGBT publications nationwide. Originally the publication was owned by Twin Cities Reader owner American City Business Journals, but was later bought by Stern Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Nickolaus Tretter</span> American LGBTQ archivist (1946–2022)

Jean-Nickolaus Tretter was an American activist and LGBT archivist who created the Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, housed by the University of Minnesota.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Become a Member". Quatrefoil Library. Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Charity Search Results: Quatrefoil Library". The Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Quatrefoil: Gay/Lesbian Library". Library Journal. 119: 25. 1986. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Keim 2008, p. viii.
  5. ↑ Van Cleve 2012, p. 216.
  6. ↑ Collins, Jon (September 24, 2013). "Spirit on Lake provides welcoming home for LGBT seniors". Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ Larsen 2017, p. 172-3.
  8. ↑ Frame, Robert (2016). "In and Out: Thirty Years At the Quatrefoil Library". Hennepin History. 75 (2): 12. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Sturdevant, A. (April 17, 2014). "LGBT history is lovingly preserved at Quatrefoil Library on Lake Street". MinnPost. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Twin Cities Gaze". February 1986.
  11. 1 2 Keim 2008, p. 18.
  12. ↑ Barr, James (1950). Quatrefoil. Greenberg Press. OCLC   542667.
  13. ↑ Keim 2008, p. 7.
  14. ↑ "History". Quatrefoil Library. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  15. ↑ Christiane Cordero (May 21, 2019). "College Scholarship Opportunities Still Available For High School Seniors". CBS Minnesota. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Announcing free membership!". May 17, 2021. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023. In one of the most significant changes in its 35-year history, Quatrefoil has launched free membership. The change officially went into effect June 1, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Quatrefoil launches Q Digital!". October 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023. Quatrefoil Library is pleased to announce the launch of its first-ever collection of e-books and audiobooks. Anyone with a Q Card may browse a diverse and growing selection of new and classic LGBTQ+ books and borrow items with a few clicks. Thanks to the generosity of a Quatrefoil board member and a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, all Q Digital items may be borrowed at no charge.
  18. ↑ "A Space for the LGBTQIA+ Community | Q Library". Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ Marianne Combs (July 14, 2016). "From private collection to lending library: Quatrefoil grows as resource for LGBT community". MPR News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ Greenblatt, Ellen (2011). Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service ... Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 147. ISBN   9780786448944.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.