University acquires transgender/transsexual materials

EDITORS: Photo available on request.

ANN ARBOR—Researchers now have access to an uncommonly rich supply of materials on transgender and transsexual issues as a result of a gift from the Gender Education and Advocacy (www.gender.org) organization (formerly AEGIS) to the University of Michigan.

A journal cover from the NTL&A collectionThe National Transgender Library and Archive (NTL&A), a vast repository of materials documenting the history of the transgender movement, is now part of U-M’s University Library and includes books, journals, photographs, films, video and audio tapes, and correspondence collected over a 20-year span by Dallas Denny, an active participant in the movement.

When the collection outgrew its home in Atlanta, Ga., Gender Education and Advocacy (GEA) solicited proposals from institutions that were interested in the collection. After considering how to best assure the preservation of the NTL&A, the GEA donated the archive to U-M.

Because of its considerable size and variety, the archive has been distributed throughout the library system. Most of the printed materials are currently available, and can be located via the Library’s online catalogue (www.lib.umich.edu/mirlyn/mirlynpage.html) by using the keywords National Transgender Library and Archive. A list of approximately 400 serial titles can be viewed at (www.lib.umich.edu/spec-coll/labadie/ntladesc.html). Correspondence and other non-print sources are not yet available to the public.

“The NTL&A is one of the largest catalogued collections pertaining to the transgender movement, if not the largest,” says Julie Herrada, curator of the Labadie Collection (www.lib.umich.edu/spec-coll/labadie/). “The subject areas span several disciplines. The subjects of mental health, sociology, social work, medicine, cosmetology, sex, popular culture, and fashion are included in the archives. The University Library, with its strong commitment to diversity, is pleased to be the recipient of such a deep and broad collection of research materials on transgender issues.”

For more information about the University Library, visit the Web site: www.lib.umich.edu.

www.gender.orgNational Transgender Library and Archivewww.lib.umich.edu/mirlyn/mirlynpage.htmlJulie Herradawww.lib.umich.edu