Langsdale Library Archives Serve as Key Resource for Students Exploring History of Baltimore's 'Gayborhoods'
February 1, 2018
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
"Gayborhoods": That's the shorthand term for neighborhoods in Baltimore—including Mt. Vernon, right next door to the University of Baltimore—with a history of LGBTQ organizing and community-building. UB's Langsdale Library holds one of the most extensive collections of materials related to gay life in Baltimore, and now that collection is receiving new attention as college students explore the idea of a gayborhood and how it thrived in an environment of repression and othering.
Students from Johns Hopkins University recently completed a winter semester-long, hands-on, intensive course hosted at Langsdale on archival research. Their focus was an ongoing survey of local LGBTQ life. They are among many groups, large and small, who recognize that an archive of Baltimore's gay community is of vital importance in understanding the city, its various cultures, and where groups and interests intersect—literally and figuratively.
"Our ongoing partnership with the GLCCB [Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland] to preserve and provide access to these records is an essential part of documenting LGBTQI+ local history," said Aiden Faust, head of Special Collections for Langsdale Library. "The GLCCB collection has become a go-to source for student projects, research, and exhibits. Through the archives, Langsdale Library serves students throughout the University System of Maryland, as well as other Baltimore-area colleges and universities, and the broader Baltimore community. Our commitment to preservation, access, and engagement is reflected in the learning experiences of these students, many of whom are coming to the archives for the very first time."
Read about the Hopkins students' exploration of Langsdale's Special Collections.
Learn more about Langsdale Library.