“Safe in the Stacks” Program To Be Presented At National Conference on LGBT Equality

Jama Shelton (Forty to None) and Julie Winkelstein (postdoctoral researcher on an IMLS grant) are presenting their program from last summer, “Safe in the Stacks: Community Spaces for Serving Homeless LGBTQ Youth,” at the 26th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. Located in Houston (TX) at the Hilton of the Americas, the conference features over 350 workshops and training sessions and four plenary sessions between January 29 and February 2. “Safe in the Stacks” on February 1 is about the role that libraries can plan in the lives of homeless LGBTQ youth. More information about the conference, sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is available here.

The pair did a similar program at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference, geared toward librarians. The Houston presentation aims for GLBT activists and how they can collaborate/partner with libraries in their work, especially around LGBTQ youth homelessness. Earlier this month, Shelton and Winkelstein gave a presentation in New York City to social workers and others who work with people experiencing homelessness, again stressing public libraries as good allies and partners. Winkelstein said, “Jama and I are excited about speaking about libraries outside of the library world. It has been great.”

Here is a synopsis of the program:

Safe in the Stacks: Community Spaces for Serving Homeless LGBTQ Youth Youth

Up to 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ. Libraries are an untapped community resource that could help prevent homelessness and play an active role in the lives of homeless LGBTQ youth. This workshop will help attendees think creatively about engaging libraries and other diverse groups of community partners in helping LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. Participants will develop action plans for engaging their local libraries/community organizations, including barriers and strategies for overcoming those barriers.

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