Part of the General Collections and Humanities Center
The James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center
, named for the local philanthropist and supporter, collects, preserves and provides access to materials on all aspects of the culture, history and life experience of members of the LGBT community. The community includes Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex people and other Sexual Minorities. The LGBT collection covers a broad range of subjects, including fiction, biography, nonfiction (civil rights; gender identity; gender studies and Queer theory; arts; health; etc.), and pays particular attention to the experience of people of color, the disabled, youth, the elderly, and other groups which are often marginalized within this community. The collection, national and international in scope with a primary focus on Northern California, is intended for anyone seeking information about the LGBT experience. Materials for the general San Francisco Public Library adult, teen and children's collections are selected by the staff as appropriate. The Eureka Valley/Harvey Milk Memorial Branch
maintains a large circulating collection of LGBT materials. The Gay & Lesbian Center's collection is primarily in English; materials in international languages represent work that is important to present in its original language or that has not been translated into English. General works on LGBT topics in international languages may also be found in the International Center.
The Center collects books, periodicals and serials, directories, manuscripts, photographs, films, video, LPs (long-playing records), cassette and compact disc recordings of music and the spoken word, matchbooks, buttons, T-shirts, posters, bar cards trophies, flyers and unpublished materials such as personal papers, organizational records and other important documents chronicling the history of the LGBT community in Northern California. Among the reference collections are historically-significant pulp paperback fiction of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s; films distributed by Frameline; and the works of Bay Area filmmakers. Many of these archival materials
are housed in the San Francisco History Center
to facilitate public access and research use. Additionally, selected collections of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Historical Society are housed in the San Francisco History Center to facilitate public access and research use.
The collection is weeded
based on significance of title, usage and maintaining existing collection strengths.