Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens : A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians

H. Martin, J. Murdock

This addition to the Neal-Schuman How-To-Do-It Manuals series takes on the challenge of providing library services to LGBTQ teens. In a clearly laid-out format and a highly readable style, the guide focuses on helping queer teens within the larger umbrella of providing service to all teens. Part 1 covers library service to the LGBTQ population. Understanding the queer community and identifying LGBTQ teens' informational needs, offering effective service in a safe environment, handling readers'-advisory and reference interviews, doing collection development, integrating LGBTQ themes into general programming, and assesssing and responding to the rate of change and inclusion a community will tolerate are all covered in an accessible manner. Part 2 consists of an excellent annotated bibliography as well as sample booktalks and instructions for program design. An additional source bibliography and a fine index complete a superior tool for starting or enhancing library services to a formerly neglected subset of the teen population.