The Robert Gaylor LGBTQ+ Collection includes more than 5,300 books and other materials focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people and issues.
The collection contains many titles of historical significance related to LGBTQ+ lives. The oldest books date back to the 1920s. Fiction and non-fiction works are available, covering a wide range of disciplines such as religion, philosophy, history, psychology, sociology, politics, literary criticism, and the arts. Approximately 40 percent of the collection features gay or lesbian fictional characters.
Several important journals, magazines, newspapers and other periodicals from the 1970s to the present are also included. Michigan is well represented as well as neighboring states and Canada's province of Ontario. All types of periodical publications are present: scholarly, political, news, entertainment, and more. There are also directories, flyers, newsletters and other ephemera from LGBTQ+ organizations.
A former OU librarian and retired professor emeritus, Professor Gaylor began collecting LGBTQ+ materials in the 1960s when it was difficult to find information about these communities and social issues they faced. “As many older gay and lesbian people might remember,” he said, “back in the early days, you wondered if you were the only one. There were limited ways in which a person could find out about homosexuality. When I began collecting, I had to visit numerous bookstores across the country to find gay materials. It was difficult, but I purchased everything I could find.”
Thankfully, Professor Gaylor’s self-described “collection mania” resulted in one of the finest GLBT collections in the state. Adriene Lim, former dean of the University Libraries, described the collection as “one of the most important local collections spanning the past 50 years and more of GLBT life.”
Every work in the collection addresses a topic related to homosexuality or features an LGBTQ+ fictional character. Additionally, all works have at least one or more of the following characteristics: written by a LGBTQ+ author, published by a LGBTQ+ publisher, or featuring at least one character who is LGBTQ+.
The collection also contains pulp-fiction paperbacks from the 1960s. Professor Gaylor acknowledges that many of the cover illustrations may be “lurid,” but believes that the images and stories' themes are meaningful records of societal perceptions about GLBT people at the time. “In most cases,” he said, “the stories ended tragically for the gay or lesbian character. But as time went on, the novels began to have positive endings. The materials began to cover every topic – cooking, travel, military service, and biographies. In regard to controversial topics, such as gays in the military or same-sex marriage, I have always attempted to collect both sides of the debate.”
Thanks to those who have provided monetary support and gifts of high-quality materials, the Gaylor Collection continues to deepen and expand. Funds from the Robert Gaylor LGBTQ+ Collection Endowment are used to maintain the collection and enhance it for future use. As Professor Gaylor describes it, “This fund is used to support a unique collection that helps people learn about us and the issues important to us. It might play a part in opening someone’s eyes, enriching a research project, or helping someone who thinks she or he is the only one. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have this endowment fund grow. We want this community resource to be a living collection, a loved collection, one that has pertinence today and in the future.”
The Kresge Library at Oakland University is proud to offer this distinctive special collection to students, scholars, and community members in the region and beyond. Your support helps ensure that this collection will continue to benefit future generations. Help us transform people’s lives through learning, discovery, scholarship, and research. Please make a gift today to the Robert Gaylor LGBTQ+ Collection Endowment.