While I did post about #QueerAllYear, June is when Pride displays appear in most libraries. During this particular time, there is stress is some libraries about setting up a Pride display given the current political climate. Talk to your supervisor, your administration and work with them on creating the display that will best serve your community. It can be difficult but it is often a question of adjusting what you set up to both promote your collection while not having your June spent arguing with bigots rather than celebrating the LGBTQ community. Ideally, the would not have to make any changes but I understand that sometimes it will be necessary.
As with all these celebratory months, please focus on something other than the darkest parts of history and tragedy. Include biographies about inspirational LGBTQ people and their successes. Do a display with queer artists, poets, and musicians. There are queer cooks, politicians, and humorists. While there are always struggles and painful moments, every community is more than that.
There are plenty of lists and articles out there. Use them pull out fiction by LGBTQ authors who your patrons have not discovered yet. Look past literary fiction to other genres and set up a display with romances, horror, and mysteries. Science fiction and fantasy also have a lot of great works by queer authors.
Books for younger children and teens are often those which cause the most tension. I usually put most of the displays for these months in a central walkway, outside of the children’s department. This allows those who want and need the books to discover them, learn that we include them, and take them without asking for help or searching. The young adult fiction usually empties the fastest.
Post your great Pride or Rainbow book month displays and tag me in your posts so I can see them.
