by Maureen Coleman
The Sexual Minorities Archive (SMA) is in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The archive is a small community archive and is housed in a large pink house, dubbed the Pink Lady. The Pink Lady has multiple floors that are filled with a variety of materials, including print resources, digital resources, ephemera and art all related to the LGBTQI community. Visiting the collections at the SMA is done by appointment only, but the archive is very responsive and flexible in scheduling the visits. The appointments as well as any questions for the SMA can be done via phone, social media, or their website’s contact page. The SMA offers something for everyone within the queer community as well as those who do not fall within that category.
One of the many exciting parts of the SMA is the Out Books on Wheels library that is housed on the second floor of the Pink Lady. This library was officially opened at the Holyoke location on October 21, 2017. The library is a lending library allowing visitors to check out materials to take home. The library collection consists of fiction (adult and young-adult) and nonfiction books as well as some older periodicals and movies. The SMA website states that the library includes over 4,000 titles. Although the website does not offer a searchable catalog for specific titles in the Out Books on Wheels, it does offer an extensive list of the categories of materials that can be found. These categories include lesbian, transgender, intersex/middle sex, gay, queer, LGBTQI history, and children/youth materials amongst others.
The SMA provides information on the Out Books on Wheels collection on their website as well on their social media pages. The SMA provides updates on its Facebook page about particular donations to the library collection, including a recent post about a member of the trans community who donated approximately 100 titles to the SMA some of which were titles to be included in the Out Books on Wheels library. A post from July of 2016 outlines the goal of the Out Books on Wheels, which they state is “to fill the huge information and knowledge gap that is not met by mainstream libraries and schools.” (Sexual Minorities Archive, 2016) To assist with continuing to make the library and materials available to the most people, the SMA will at times request voluntary donations through their website and social media pages.
The library is staffed by dedicated volunteers who are available for several hours per week; however, even if they are not on site, visitors are able to access and explore the library. Both the volunteers and the curator of the SMA are receptive to questions and can offer guidance to visitors who may be unsure of what materials at the library would be the best fit for their particular interests or needs. In addition to being free, there is no membership or library card required to check out materials. The check-out process consists of providing certain information in a notebook within the library. The information required is the title of the material(s) you are borrowing, your name, e-mail address, and the date you borrow the item. There is no official policy on when a library user must return items but is rather a sort of honor policy. Another service that is provided is that the Out Books on Wheels library will deliver materials to community organizations for use at their locations or events.
The SMA offers many services and materials to community members, including the Out Books on Wheels. Having been a visitor at the archive and borrower of materials at the library, I can attest to the ease at which one can borrow materials and the helpful assistance that is easily accessible while at the archive. The curator and the volunteers ensure that the visitors find what they are looking for and enjoy the process. The benefits of the services offered by the SMA and the Out Books on Wheels should not be understated and if you haven’t visited yet, I recommend a visit soon.
To find out more visit the SMA website or check out their Facebook page!