News

    Pride Library Outreach Initiatives, Fall 2016

    01-08-2017

    Our volunteers have been busy this semester, participating in several outreach initiatives on campus in addition to regular operations.

    At the end of September, the Pride Library was invited to take part in Bash Outside the Stacks hosted by Western Libraries. The event was aimed at connecting with undergrads and letting them know what we have to offer, since so few incoming students know about the depth and breadth of services at Western.

    Cameron, Danya, and Victor spent the afternoon chatting with students and faculty about the Pride Library's collection, events, and space. Thanks to everyone who came to the event!

    Pictured: volunteers Cameron, Danya, and Victor.

    Pictured: volunteers Cameron, Danya, and Victor.

    Pride Library volunteers were also invited to attend the Feminist Mixer hosted by the Women's Studies Student Collective at Western. It was a fun night of socializing, performances, and outreach from intersectional, feminist groups on campus. The Pride Library is proud to have been invited! Many thanks to our volunteers Shuting, Cameron, Danya, Krisandra, and Brianna for helping out at the Feminist Mixer and spreading the word about the Pride Library.

    Pictured: volunteers Danya, Cameron, and Shuting.

    Pictured: volunteers Danya, Cameron, and Shuting.

    Stay tuned for other events and outreach initiatives coming soon from the Pride Library. We couldn’t do it without our wonderful volunteers!

    Promo Ad for the Pride Library at Radio Western

    03-07-2016

    Photograph of Recording Studio for Pride Library Promo Ad

    Three of our awesome volunteers, Devina, Svitlana and Daron, created a promo ad for the Pride Library at Radio Western’s recording studio. Big thanks to Andrew Barton at Radio Western for producing this promo for us. Have a listen!

    The Pride Library Featured in Western Gazette Article

    03-01-2016

    The Pride Library was featured Feb 24, 2016 in the the official student newspaper of Western University, the Gazette. Below is an excerpt and link from the article Pride Library offers varied space on campus:

    Located in the back of Weldon Library’s main floor, the Pride Library is a space on campus for students, queer or otherwise, who are looking for a safe space.

    As the only library of its kind at a Canadian university, this unique room hosts a variety of queer literature including fiction, non-fiction and graphica. Started in 1997 by comparative literature associate professor James Miller, the library has been building its varied collection ever since.

    “It initially started when Dr. Miller was studying some queer studies courses,” says Rebecca Kasperavicius, a master’s student in library and information science and Pride Library volunteer. “He went to go get some literature from the library but they didn't have those resources, so he started building his own collection.”

    Material located on the shelves is open to circulation for the public and is registered with Weldon’s call number system. A majority of this literature comes from public donation, providing a wide array of subjects within queer topics.

    Some of the donated material is rare, or simply could not be restored if it were damaged or lost. This literature is kept encased at the back of the Pride Library and can be accessed in-house with permission and assistance.

    Broken Pencil presents: QUEER GRAPHICA launch at the Pride Library

    04-03-2013

    Thursday, April 11, 2013
    4:00 – 5:00pm
    Pride Library, D.W. Weldon Library, room 107 (main floor, off Spenser Reading Room). Map and directions - click here.
    RSVP: on Facebook

    The Pride Library is pleased to announce the launch of its latest special collection: QUEER GRAPHICA.

    Comprised of comics, zines, graphic novels, and artists’ bookworks, QUEER GRAPHICA reflects all the colours in the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans) rainbow in formats that creatively combine words with images.  Rather than telling a single “official” story of the changing role of queer folk through history, the collection provides exciting access to socially diverse, politically engaging, culturally alternative, and often highly personal narratives of sexual/gender identity formation and queer community development across the globe.    

    Local donors Mike Niederman and Joan Brennan will be honoured at the launch for their pioneering role in producing and collecting queer zines in Canada.  Thanks to their generous contributions over the period 1997 to 2013, the collection has grown to encompass everything from sensitive coming-out narratives to raunchy celebrations of leather culture, from affectionate satires of queer family dynamics to explosive manifestos from the daring fringes of kink.

    Titles include: Curbside, Kake, Dyke to Watch Out For, Straight to Hell, J.D.s, Queer Enough, Hothead Paisan, Hoax, Liliane, Curbside, Invincible Summer, The Life and Times of Butch Dykes, He, Her, Him: Free, Fer, Frim, Gay Comix, Naked Justice, Naughty Bits, Desert Peach, Spit and Passion, and Keven Keller.

    Artists represented in the collection include: Tom of Finland, P. Craig Russel, Eloisa Aquino, Bruce LaBruce & GB Jones, Caroline Paquita, Nicole J. Georges, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Mary Wings, Cristy C. Road, Robnoxious, Alison Bechdel, Carrie McNinch, Robert Kirby, Gengoroh Tegame, and Ellen Forney.

    The stylish new space created for QUEER GRAPHICA includes original design elements by Toronto graphic artist Annyen Lam (signage) and London ébéniste Elias Polizoes (cabinetry).

    Queer Graphica Launch Poster Thumbnail

    The Royal Imperial Sovereign Court of London and Southwestern Ontario Presents a Donation of $4,600

    10-04-2012

    Regent Emperor 2 Stan MacKenzie-Storm and Her Royal Imperial Soverign Majesty Empress 2 Madison Hart of the Royal Imperial Sovereign Court of London and Southwestern Ontario presented a generous donation of $4,600 to Dr. James Miller at the September 29th Investiture.  The funds from this donation will be directed to archival projects concerning drag culture, costuming and impersonation, and ball culture.

    The first photograph below pictures Emperor Stan, Dr. Miller, and Empress Madison. Dr. Miller is holding the children's book The Harvey Milk Story by Kari Krakow, illustrated by David Gardner, donated to the Pride Library by Emperor Jack from the Royal Imperial Sovereign Court of New York.

    Volunteer at the Pride Library for Fall 2012

    09-04-2012

    Welcome new and returning Western students!  We need volunteers to staff the queeries desk for fall term.  Volunteers keep the doors open, help patrons, and work on special projects.  Spots on the volunteer schedule are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

    If you're interested in volunteering at the Pride Library, please contact our student co-ordinator at volunteer@pridelibrary.ca.

    Update: Our interim volunteer schedule is available here.  Please be advised that the Pride Library will remain closed to the public until the volunteer schedule is finalized - stay tuned for details.  Until regular operating hours commence, materials can be retrieved from the Pride Library with the assistance of the front circulation desk at Weldon Library.

    Library Closed Until Aug 27th

    08-14-2012

    Due to unexpected renovation work in the D. B. Weldon library this month, the Pride Library will not be accessible to the public until August 27, 2012.  Please note, you can still visit the catalogue here.  Needed materials can be retrieved from the Pride Library with the assistance of Weldon service desk staff.

    Please contact us with any questions or concerns.

    Queer Noir Summer Film Series

    07-04-2012

    There will be a summer film series at the Pride Library where we explore gay subtext in Film Noir! It starts tomorrow afternoon at 2pm and will continue every Thursday except August 9th at 2pm (unless there is enough interest in changing the time). Tell your friends! These are some seriously awesome movies... for free!  Click the poster below to enlarge and get all the details.
    queer noir poster

    Pride Library Closed August 4, 2012 - August 12, 2012

    06-26-2012

    Please note that the D. B. Weldon library will be closed due to electrical system upgrades from August 4, 2012 to August 12, 2012, resulting in the closure of the Pride Library. Weldon's summer operating hours can be found at http://www.lib.uwo.ca/hours/weldon.

    Summer Term Queeries Desk Schedule Posted

    05-14-2012

    Our initial summer term schedule is posted, and we are still filling open spaces in the Queeries Desk schedule.  Click for our operating hours so far.  If you are interested in filling in a spot on the schedule as a volunteer, please contact our volunteer co-ordinator Naeemi Aweda at naweda@uwo.ca.

    There are also a number of paid Work Study positions available to eligible Western students. You can go to the Registrar's Work Study website, login, and check the listings available for Pride Library positions.

    2 Girls 5 Gays Event - All Proceeds to the Pride Library

    01-18-2012

    Location: Mustang Lounge, University Community Centre
    Time: Thursday, February 2, 2012
    Facebook event link: 2 Girls 5 Gays

    Our friends at PrideWestern will be hosting a not to be missed panel discussion/fundraising event.  A panel of two girls and 5 gays will discuss LGBTQ issues in a talk show format, and we want you to be part of the live audience! PrideWestern will be accepting questions in advance (usc.pride@uwo.ca) and live at the event.

    Admission to the event is just $2, and all proceeds are being generously donated by PrideWestern to the Pride Library. We look forward to seeing you out for some riveting discussion!

    Winter Term Queeries Desk Schedule

    01-08-2012

    We are currently filling spaces in the Queeries Desk shedule for Winter term.  Click here for our operating hours thus far.  Contact our volunteer co-ordinator Chris at cvogel@uwo.ca if you are interested in filling in any gaps in the schedule - all persons from the Western community welcome!

    On the Edge: Sex and the Library - Nov 24 2:30-4:30 VAC100

    11-20-2011

    Panel discussion this Thursday, November 24th, 2:30PM-4:30PM at the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre, VAC 100.

    One the Edge - Sex and the Library Poster

    Panelists:

    Lisa Sloniowski will address the issue of feminist, queer, and transsexual/transgender pornography based on her current work on the SSHRC-funded Feminist Pornography Archive and Research Project at York University

    Sam Trosow (Associate Professor, FIMS and Faculty of Law) will address the legal implications related to obscene and pornographic material (pornography vs. obscenity and constitutional protections);

    Marni Harrington, Librarian, will discuss her experiences with the acquisition of The Playboy Collection of magazines housed at D.B. Weldon Library at UWO

    Heather Hill, Assistant Professor (FIMS) will explore explicit content in library collections and how this is introduced in Library and Information Science programs

    James Miller, Associate Professor in the department of Modern Languages and Literatures will discuss his role as Founder of the Pride Library at UWO and some of the special collections housed there

    Pride Library Closed for Thanksgiving Weekend

    10-06-2011

    Please note - the Pride Library will be closed Oct 8th, 9th, and 10th for the Thanksgiving weekend.

    Regular Operating Hours Posted

    10-06-2011

    Updated

    Click here for our regular operating hours.  Please contact our volunteer co-ordinator Chris at cvogel@uwo.ca if you are interested in filling in any gaps in our Queery desk schedule.

    Professor Miller Talk at The Fraternity - Oct 3, 2011

    09-23-2011

    Professor Miller, founder of the Pride Library, will be giving a talk on the history of the Pride Library to The Fraternity, a gay professional organization in Toronto.  Please click here to be taken to the Fraternity webpage for all the details.

    Pride Library Open to the Public

    09-21-2011

    With the resolution of the labour disruption by Librarians and Archivists at Western, the Pride Library has re-opened to the public.  Please continue to contact our volunteer co-ordinator Chris at cvogel@uwo.ca for volunteer inquiries and to reserve a spot on the Queeries Desk.  Regular operating hours will be posted shortly.

    Pride Library Closed to Public for Librarians and Archivists Strike

    09-08-2011

    For the duration of the Librarians and Archivists Strike, the Pride Library will be closed to the public.  Please continue to contact our volunteer co-ordinator Chris at cvogel@uwo.ca for volunteer inquiries and to reserve a spot on the Queeries Desk.  To retrieve an item from the Pride Library, please consult the Weldon library circulation desk staff.

    Congrats Danielle on a Successful Thesis Defense

    09-07-2011

    Over the course of winter semester 2011, Danielle conducted ethnographic research at the Pride Library towards her Masters thesis at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information.  The resulting work, Big Gay Library: An Ethnography of the Pride Library at the University of Western Ontario explores and articulates the unique context of the Pride Library including: physical environment, material practices, labour relations and patron activities.  Most notably, Big Gay Library demonstrates that the Pride Library is not only valued for providing concrete LGBTQ information but also for creating a symbolic and social space for the LGBTQ community at UWO and beyond.

    Download a PDF of Daniell's thesis: Big Gay Library: An Ethnography of the Pride Library at the University of Western Ontario.
    Danielle's website can be found at: www.daniellecooper.ca

    Pride Library Website Re-Launch

    09-01-2011

    Thanks for visiting our new homepage!  We hope you're pleased with the results.

    Sections of the site are currently under construction.  Your feedback is greatly appreciated - please direct any questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding the new webpage to webmaster@pridelibrary.ca.

    Volunteers Needed for Fall 2011 Term

    09-01-2011

    Volunteers are needed to staff our queeries desk for the Fall 2011 term.  Visit our voluteer page here for more details, or contact our voluteer co-ordinator at cvogel@uwo.ca.