Consultation with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

1
Consultation with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
Transgender community

• The Brighton Hove Experience

2
Brighton Hove

• Population of City is c.250,000
• Conservative estimates of LGBT Community
  approximately 35,000
• Well organised, high profile and vibrant
  community, with many groups and Forums

3
Commitment to LGBT

• Brighton Hove Council Mission Statement
  includes a commitment to make all its services
  accessible to all people who live in the City
• City library service Mission Statement to
  provide free, equal and customer-focused access,
  in response to the needs of our diverse
  community.

4
Pride in Brighton Hove
Taking the mobile library to Pride in Brighton
Hove
5
Pride in Brighton Hove

• Mobile library visit to Pride Festival since 2001
• Decorated with colourful balloons, posters and
  information
• Stock changed to reflect the event, including
  stands outside
• Expanded range of services each year
• Excellent way to meet and involve the LGBT
  community

6
Consultation Survey

• Available at all 15 Brighton Hove libraries at
  all times, in LGBT sections and on issue desks
• To gauge awareness of the services we do provide
  and survey opinion on what else we could do
• Invitation to join consultation group
• Many useful comments from the surveys, especially
  from Pride

7
The Consultation Group

• Who can join the group?
• Any one who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual
  or transgendered, who has an interest in the
  library service.
• Ages range from late 60s to early 20s, from
  students, retired people, writers, shop owners
  and even library staff.

8
The Consultation Group

• How do people join the group?
• Widely advertised
• Local gay and mainstream press
• National gay press
• In all libraries and on website
• At LG book group
• By staff talking to users of section
• By leaving their details on the survey form
• By invitation following a comment form

9
The Consultation Group

• Why start a consultation group?
• To ensure that the services you are providing,
  or hoping to provide, are the ones that the LGBT
  community need and want, not the ones you assume
  are required.
• To show your libraries commitment to the LGBT
  community and their specific needs.

10
The Consultation Group

• What does a consultation group achieve?
• Circulating collection in smaller libraries
• Small collection of stock on mobile library
• Suggestions for additions to stock
• Support for start of LG reading group
• Suggestions for authors for events
• Advice on issues which affect the community
• Advice on library issues

11
Pink Parenting Booklist

• Suggested on survey received and taken to
  consultation group to assess need
• Includes books for parents about telling their
  children they are gay, for teenagers about
  telling their parents, books about insemination
  and adoption and picture books for children
  growing up in LGBT families
• Sent to community groups, social services and
  Childrens Information Services as well as in
  each library

12
Transgender Issues

• Aware of lack of books covering transgender
  issues in our stock
• Large transgender community, with several support
  groups
• Contacted The Clare Project (www.clareproject.org.
  uk)
• Successful application for funds from Celebrating
  Diversity Fund

13
Transgender Issues

• Researched many titles with members of the group
  -15 chosen to purchase
• Insert with useful information inside each copy
• Leaflet listing all titles produced, and used in
  Clare Project publicity and outreach work as well
  as sent to all local LGBT venues

14
Publicising Services

• Essential to have publicity materials about your
  services available in the places where your
  intended users go
• Advertising bookmarks from Community Media in
  Leeds
• Sponsored by Switchboard, with their information
  on reverse
• 20,000 free to library
• Sent to gay venues and used in libraries

15
Wider benefits to consultation

• Once people see that the library service is
  working for them, they will come to you
• Local registry office send information on Civil
  Partnerships
• THT asked us to distribute their information pack
  for young gay men 1000 across our 15 libraries
• Count Me In Too advertising focus groups and
  collection point for surveys
• Lesbian Link standing free listing for LG
  reading group

16
Conclusion

• Consultation with the LGBT community makes our
  library services more relevant and more
  beneficial to the entire local population we serve