Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Main Author: Pruitt, John
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Language:en
Published: 2010
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author Pruitt, John
author_facet Pruitt, John
Pruitt, John
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue Pruitt, John Discussion Groups Clubs Cultural Centers Public Libraries Homosexuality Males Library Services Social Attitudes Social Bias Books Because of an absence of dialogue, a tense relationship appears to exist between Wisconsin's gay men's book discussion groups and their local public libraries. Public library directors express interest in accommodating these groups if approached but face budget restrictions and local communities that may oppose these gatherings; gay men's book clubs prefer meeting in private homes and other openly gay-friendly environments largely because of the conservatism of cultural institutions in their collective memories. This qualitative study argues that, with consistent dialogues, gay discussion groups can help public libraries achieve their missions of diversifying their patrons, collections, and services, and that public libraries can assist gay communities with establishing themselves in the city or county's history by hosting visible public discussions of gay texts as markers of an entire community's cultural heritage.
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ882216
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2010
record_format eric
spellingShingle Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue
Pruitt, John
Discussion Groups
Clubs
Cultural Centers
Public Libraries
Homosexuality
Males
Library Services
Social Attitudes
Social Bias
Books
Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue Pruitt, John Discussion Groups Clubs Cultural Centers Public Libraries Homosexuality Males Library Services Social Attitudes Social Bias Books Because of an absence of dialogue, a tense relationship appears to exist between Wisconsin's gay men's book discussion groups and their local public libraries. Public library directors express interest in accommodating these groups if approached but face budget restrictions and local communities that may oppose these gatherings; gay men's book clubs prefer meeting in private homes and other openly gay-friendly environments largely because of the conservatism of cultural institutions in their collective memories. This qualitative study argues that, with consistent dialogues, gay discussion groups can help public libraries achieve their missions of diversifying their patrons, collections, and services, and that public libraries can assist gay communities with establishing themselves in the city or county's history by hosting visible public discussions of gay texts as markers of an entire community's cultural heritage.
title Gay Men's Book Clubs versus Wisconsin's Public Libraries: Political Perceptions in the Absence of Dialogue
topic Discussion Groups
Clubs
Cultural Centers
Public Libraries
Homosexuality
Males
Library Services
Social Attitudes
Social Bias
Books
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ882216