In her intro to the first section of Queers Online: LGBT digital practices in Libraries, Archives, and Museums, Racheal Wexelbaum reveals that "women and LGBTIQ people were pioneers in exploring and developing online communities, social media, and folksonomy. They redefine intended uses of online space, recognize the information gaps in online resources, and desire equal communication and collaboration over hierarchical structures." (Wexelbaum et al., 2015,16) Online spaces and materials can expand a community's understanding of themselves and those who came before them. How do we as cultural heritage professionals steward, collect, and utilize these things for our users and communities?
This lightning talk, sponsored by the LGBTQ+ SIG, aims to explore different resources that are hosted online, work with online materials or resources, and/or have been worked on by a digital community that spans different countries. The overall talk will also showcase how the digital sphere has been a place for documenting Queer and Trans lives and experiences. Participants come from a variety of initiatives that span different size institutions/projects from North and South America. Presentations cover a variety of mediums and resources including databases, oral histories, Wikipedia, digital humanities, and metadata standards. While projects may not be centered on arts focused topics specifically, they can be of service and interest to ARLIS members for their work or to share with their patrons. With ARLIS starting its new schedule of virtual conferences and the theme of activating community, this session wants to fully explore the online space as a place for community, and how it can act as a way to connect community members not only to these projects, but with other like-minded professionals.
