Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Environment for Transgender and Gender Fluid Music Library Users

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to share suggestions on how music library staff can create a welcoming and inclusive environment for library users who are transgender or gender fluid. This user population often encounters barriers such as language usage, accommodations, name and pronoun usage, and identity disclosure when using libraries. The focus of this article is on the practical aspects of assisting transgender and gender fluid individuals in instructional settings, during reference transactions, at outreach events, or in mentoring students and student employees. Nine suggestions are given to help library staff build cultural competency and confidence in serving this user population. Although this article is centered on music libraries in academic institutions, many of the suggestions can be transferred to a public library setting.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• diversity
• reference service

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, “Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries: An Interpretation of the Library Bill Of Rights” (Chicago: ALA, 2017), http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/LBORwithInterpretations2017.pdf (accessed July 6, 2018).

2. Alejandro Marquez, “Supporting Transgender Individuals in Libraries: Developing Responsive Policies,” Journal of Creative Library Practice, June 19, 2014, http://creativelibrarypractice.org/2014/06/19/supporting-transgender-individuals-in-libraries; Susann Schaller, “Information Needs of LG BTQ College Students,” Libri 61 (2011): 100–15; Jami Kathleen Taylor, “Targeting the Information Needs of Transgender Individuals,” Current Studies in Librarianship 26, no. 1/2 (Spring/Fall 2002): 85–110.

3. “Diversity in Academe: Transgender on Campus: A Special Report,” special issue, Chronicle of Higher Education, October 18, 2015, http://www.chronicle.com/specialreport/Diversity-in-Academe-/11 (accessed July 26, 2018).

4. Ellen Bara Stolzenberg and Bryce Hughes, “The Experiences of Incoming Transgender College Students: New Data on Gender Identity,” Liberal Education 103, no. 2 (2007): 1–5.

5. Alexa Pearce, “Safe and Inclusive Classrooms: Transgender Students Describe Ideal Learning Environments,” Insights on Library Instruction [blog], U-M Library Instructor College Initiative, December 15, 2015, http://www.lib.umich.edu/blogs/insights-library-instruction/safe-and-inclusive-classrooms-transgender-students-describe-ideal (accessed June 24, 2018); Kelly J. Thompson, “Where’s the ‘T’?: Improving Library Service to Community Members Who are Transgender Identified.” B Sides: U of Iowa SLIS Journal 22 (Summer 2012): 1–17.

6. Rebecca J. Marrall, Developing Best Practices for Serving Transgender Patrons at Academic Library Service Points (Portland, OR: ACRL, 2015).

7. Aubri A. Drake and Arlene Bielefield, “Equitable Access: Information Seeking Behavior, Information Needs, and Necessary Library Accommodations for Transgender Patrons,” Library and Information Science Research 39, no. 3 (2017): 160–68.

8. “PFLAG National Glossary of Terms,” PFLAG, https://www.pflag.org/glossary (accessed July 15, 2018).

9. C. Jacob Hale, “Suggested Rules for Non-transsexuals Writing about Transsexuals, Transsexuality, Transsexualism, or Trans ____,” last updated November 18, 2009, http://sandystone.com/hale.rules.html (accessed July 24, 2018).

10. GLAAD, “Glossary of Terms – Transgender,” Media Reference Guide, 10th ed. (New York: GLAAD, October 2016), 10–11, http://www.glaad.org/sites/default/files/GLAAD-Media-Reference-Guide-Tenth-Edition.pdf (accessed July 9, 2019).

11. “PFLAG National Glossary of Terms.”

12. Sandy E. James, Jody L. Herman, Susan Rankin, Mara Keisling, Lisa Mottet, Ma’ayan Anafi, The Report from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality, 2016), https://www.ustranssurvey.org.

13. Brielle Harbin, “Teaching Beyond the Gender Binary in the University Classroom.” Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, 2016, http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-beyond-the-gender-binary-in-the-university-classroom (accessed July 10, 2018).

14. “Transgender Day of Remembrance,” GLAAD, https://www.glaad.org/tdor (accessed September 29, 2018).

15. Peterson Toscano, “Privileges of Non-Transgender People,” Peterson Toscano’s A Musing (blog), October 15, 2009, https://petersontoscano.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/privilege-of-non-transgender-people (accessed July 23, 2018).