Call for Papers — Open Sessions

LGBTQ Users

• 4 March 2020, 15:39

Theme: "LGBTQ+ collection development and services: best practices around the world"

Translation: [Français]

IFLA’s LGBTQ Users Special Interest Group invite you to submit a proposal for its Joint Session at the 86th IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2020 in Dublin, Ireland, 15-21 August.

Background

Libraries are important places for communities. They offer resources to build yourself as an individual, sometimes to discover your own cultures. They are also about welcoming LGBTQ+ users and helping them find information on topics important to them, such as coming out, health, parenting, as well as finding referents and characters to identify with in books,films and videogames or any other materials, simply for pleasure.

Beyond that, libraries are also aimed at users who are not LGBTQ+.They make it possible to discover and confront what others are experiencing, and they encourage meetings by allowing the expression of individuals who want to better understand each other’s lives

It is the objective of this call for papers to underline the information practices of libraries around the welcoming of LGBTQ+ users. How are collections built today allowing a fair representation of the plural identities that make us? How are these resources presented in library spaces and indicated in the library catalog? Is this information the same level for cis-gay men as for cis-lesbians? What about people who are transgender, gender fluid or gender non-conforming? How effective and welcome is the participation of the public and communities in the development of the collections, programs and/or services?

How can libraries help LGBTQ+ users face the challenges of today’s world, to find their way in the masses of information flooding the internet and to distinguish the real information from the false? How can LGBTQ+ library users protect their personal data and protect themselves from online harassment?

What specific learning opportunities are offered to support librarians and information professionals to raise awareness of cognitive biases, the gender stereotypes they may convey or the need to represent the communities they serve? How can library staff work with community associations and non-institutional libraries to develop these specific skills?

To answer these questions and more, in 2019 the special interest group made of LGBTQ+ Users launched a questionnaire about the purposeful reception of LGBTQ+ individuals or groups of library patrons in the world, reception including the question of spaces, collections, programs or proposed services.

After a presentation of the objectives of this work, the colloquium will be an opportunity to present several good practices implemented in establishments before proposing a time for joint reflection on these questions.

Language of the session

The language of the session is English. However, presenters may choose to give their talk/oral presentation in any of the seven IFLA working languages. Presentation slides must be in English.

Important Dates

3 April 2020 – Deadline for submitting a 500 word abstract and author information.

4 May 2020 – Presenters will be notified whether their proposals are accepted based on how well they have addressed the session theme.

1st June 2020 –Full texts of papers and brief biographies of the presenter(s) are due. Both abstracts and full papers should be submitted as a MS Word file by email. (https://2022.ifla.org/conference-programme/guidelines-for-paper-authors-and-presenters/)

Submissions

Proposals must be submitted by email and must contain:

• Email subject line “IFLA Dublin Paper Proposal”
• Title of proposed presentation
• Presenter(s) name, position and affiliation, email address, and biography (150 words maximum)
• An abstract in English (500 words)
• Language of the paper–Language of the presentation

Please submit your proposal to:

Thomas Chaimbault, Convenor of the IFLA LGBTQ Users Special Interest Group
Email: thomas.chaimbault@enssib.fr

Important information:

The length of presentations should be approximately 15 minutes with 5 minutes for questions.

At least one of the paper’s authors must be present to deliver a summary of the paper during the program in Dublin. Abstracts should only be submitted with the understanding that the expenses of attending the conference will be the responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.

The paper must be an original submission not presented or published elsewhere. All papers that are presented at the WLIC 2020 will be made available online via the IFLA Library under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Authors of accepted papers must complete the IFLA Authors’ Permission Form.

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation letter can be issued to author(s)/presenter(s) of accepted papers.

Congress Participation Grants

List of opportunities for support is available on the Apply for Grants & Awards webpage.