Overview
The editors of A Handbook for Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion in Library Work (tentative title) invite chapter proposals. The book will be published by ACRL Publications, and will be an edited volume focusing on how library workers in different library types and across different services can concretely implement trans and gender diverse inclusion. It will highlight real-world case studies, research-based guidance, and recommended practices for how library workers can support trans and gender diverse people in the course of their many different jobs and duties. With an emphasis on sustained action across all functional areas, A Handbook for Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion in Library Work seeks to grow library practitioners’ awareness and knowledge about the breadth and depth of practical approaches for making trans and gender diverse inclusion a reality in libraries. The intention of this book is to help library workers bridge the gap between meaning well toward trans people, and implementing trans and gender diverse inclusion in library work.
Trans and gender diverse people is an umbrella term that includes trans people, as well as anyone whose gender does not fall into the binaries of man or woman and trans or cis (meaning, those who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth). Chapters focusing on cisgender issues are outside the scope of this book. Chapters about LGBTQ+ topics that do not center trans and gender diverse people are also outside the scope of this book.
Information sessions and communications
For those interested in submitting a proposal or learning more about the book, the editors will be holding two identical information sessions to introduce the project and to answer questions from potential authors. Information sessions will take place over Zoom and will not be recorded. Register to attend using this form.
- June 18, 4-5 PM EST
- June 20, 2-3 PM EST
If you are unable to attend an information session, want to run an idea by the editors before submitting your proposal, or have other questions, email the editors at tgdhandbook@gmail.com.
Chapter types
- Case studies: Write up some work on trans and gender diverse inclusion that you are doing or have done in a particular area of library work. Share concrete actions and lessons learned, enough specific detail to showcase what doing trans inclusion work actually looks like in a real world context, and guidance for others hoping to implement similar practices. Case studies do not need to be about “successful” initiatives; it is valuable to learn what did not work as well as what did.
- Research-based guidance: Make recommendations based on literature and/or related experience. The inclusion of this type of chapter is in recognition of the fact that many effective practices have not been implemented, and often those with the relevant expertise are not in a position to enact change at their library.
- Sample documentation or example language, accompanied with contextual notes and explanations where appropriate.
- Something else: Anything that doesn’t fit one of the above categories that you think would be appropriate for the book’s scope and goals
Length, format, and tone
The editors invite proposals for a variety of types of chapters. We do not have a uniform length and format requirement; chapters should simply be an appropriate length for the formats that they take. Research articles of 3,000-5,000 words; short lists of suggested language, example documentation, or workflows; and case studies of up to 5,000 words are all welcome.
Chapters will undergo peer review and multiple rounds of editor feedback, but this does not mean the writing style needs to be academic; write in whatever tone works best for you and the topic you’re covering. The use of theory is welcome, but should not be the sole focus, and should help readers understand an issue without relying on readers to have a particular academic background. The overall goal of the handbook is to provide practicable recommendations in various types of library work.
Example topics
- Trans and gender diverse inclusion in public services, for example:
- Example language for avoiding assumptions about gender when talking to or about patrons
- Workarounds when policies require the use of legal names in an ILS
- Supporting trans and gender diverse patrons in a particular age group
- How to handle issues around legal names and gender for library cards, using state/government-issued IDs to check out materials, etc.
- Trans and gender diverse inclusion when working with materials and/or authors/creators, for example:
- Trans and gender inclusive collection development for a particular subject area
- Recommended practices when cataloging and/or classifying materials on trans and gender diverse topics and/or with trans and gender diverse authors
- Describing archival images when the gender of the subject(s) is unknown
- Protecting the privacy of trans and gender diverse people in oral histories
- Navigating gender and name changes for donors/subjects in archival collections
- Protecting the privacy of donors or subjects (e.g. in description or when considering digitization) who are unable to be contacted (deceased or no contact information) in archival collections when it is not clear if/where they were out
- Author/contributor name change policies in library publishing
- Trans and gender diverse inclusion for employees, for example:
- Helping employees navigate transitioning and/or coming out at work, especially those in patron-facing positions
- Advocating for systems to display names of use rather than legal name and creating clear documentation on names used/displayed in various systems and who this is visible to
- Trans and gender diverse inclusive hiring practices
- Responding to anti-trans behavior from other employees
- Other areas of trans and gender diverse inclusion, for example:
- Creating a multi-stall all-gender restroom in a public library
- Responding to anti-trans behavior (towards employees and/or other patrons) by library patrons
- Community archiving workshops geared towards trans and gender diverse people
Tentative timeline for chapter authors
- Information sessions: June 18th, 4-5 PM EST, and June 20th, 2-3 PM EST
- Proposals due: August 31, 2024
- Decisions to applicants: Fall 2024
- First drafts due: May 2025
- Second drafts due: Fall 2025
- Final drafts due: February 2026
After authors submit each draft, they will receive feedback to work into the next draft. For the first two drafts, feedback will be from the editors and from peer reviewers. Peer reviewers may include other contributing authors, as well as other library workers who practice or research trans and gender diverse inclusion. After the final drafts are submitted, ACRL Publications’s editors will also provide feedback and final proofs for authors to approve; the editors will facilitate that process.
Submissions
A Handbook for Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusion in Library Work will be published by ACRL Publications. There will be an open access ebook as well as a print version. Please note that acceptance of a chapter proposal does not guarantee publication in the final book. The editors will work with authors to develop chapters as much as is reasonable, but they may be rejected at any point at the editors’ discretion.
Chapter authors should have practical experience and/or research in the topics they are covering. Authors may publish under a pseudonym or anonymously if they prefer. Proposals with multiple authors are welcome.
How to submit a proposal: Fill out this form with the following information:
- Name(s) you want the editors to use for the author(s) in communications (accepted authors will be asked later what name, if any, they want in the published book)
- Pronouns you want the editors to use for the author(s) (optional)
- Contact email for the author(s)
- Chapter proposal (250-750 words)
- A brief professional biographical statement (100-200 words for each author)
- A positionality statement on how your social identities affect your perspective on trans and gender diverse inclusion in library work. This will not be published, but may be taken into account by the editors when considering proposals. We are not interested in a decontextualized list of your identities, but rather in how you see yourself in relation to the topic of your proposal, and how you hold yourself accountable to trans and gender diverse people in your library work. (100-300 words for each author)
About the editors
Adrian Williams is the Cataloging & Metadata Librarian at the University of Kentucky. They received their BA and MLIS from Florida State University. They are a member of the Homosaurus Editorial Board, as well as a co-coordinator for the Trans Metadata Collective and Queer Metadata Collective. Their research and service focuses on LGBTQ+ subject assignment and analysis, as well as trans-inclusive library work more generally.
Keahi Adolpho (they/he) is a processing archivist at Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries. They received their MLIS from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as their BA in History. Keahi co-edited Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries (Library Juice Press, 2023) and is a member of the Homosaurus Editorial Board.
Stephen G. Krueger is the Affordable Course Content Librarian at the University of Kentucky. Ey holds a B.A. in English from Warren Wilson College and an M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stephen is the author of Supporting Trans People in Libraries (Libraries Unlimited, 2019) and co-editor (with Keahi Adolpho and Krista McCracken) of Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries (Library Juice Press, 2023). Ey is also the founder of the Trans and Gender Diverse LIS Network.
Anastasia Chiu is a scholarly communications librarian at New York University. Their MSLIS is from St. John’s University and their BA is from Wesleyan University. Their research often focuses on inclusion, retention, and representation in library workplace cultures.
Trans and Gender Diverse LIS Network 