UL Library Expanding It's LGBTQ+ Collection

Lafayette, LA- The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Edith Garland Dupré Library has received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

The $10,000 grant will help the library increase its books, artifacts, and more to reflect Louisiana's LGBTQ+ community.  

As the library board of control continues to focus on banning books focused on LGBTQ+ themes. UL library has worked to expand its LGBTQ+ collection.

Assistant Professor at Dupre Library Zachary Stein and Assistant Professor and Director of the Builbeau Center for Public History, Dr. Marissa Petrou, have been working side by side to get a grant for an LGBTQ+ collection in the library.

 "The LGBTQ community is a major of the Acadiana region. We thought that we really needed to increase our holdings on that," says Professor Stein.

 "There's been a lot of interest among our public history students and more information about this area. In general, more LGBTQ+ history and resources, "says Dr.Petrou.

Dr. Petrou says along with the grant comes a new opportunity as well. "Part of the funding is dedicated specifically to hiring an undergraduate research assistant who will help with building the collection."

"We've always been here, and it's been a process to get to where we are."

Giving love, Acceptance, Safety, and Support President Chloe Barbier says LGBTQ+ history has always been pushed to the side. The new collection at the library to Barbier is a move in the right direction, especially seeing the controversy with the public library.

"Seeing this in comparisons to how they have been banning the books in the Lafayette Public library. In comparison, this is a really good move to try to bring light to a lot of LGBT history. Which again has been very much ignored," says Barbier. 

"It's important to see representation in your libraries, in tv shows, in media."

Azali Guidry says she is proud to be a part of a university and sees that representation in any group makes a difference. "It really matters because to feel included and excepted and have access to resources like that, just to learn more for anyone, is always a really good thing."

Professor Stein says that the library should be getting the funds pretty soon. The grant period is between March 1 through August 31.

The planned projects and events will happen between then, but they should be able to do more projects related to LGBTQ+ studies.