The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (or "The Henry GerberPearl M. Hart Library: The Midwest Lesbian & Gay Resource Center"), founded in 1981, is the largest circulating library of gay and lesbian titles in the Midwestern United States.[1] Located in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, it houses over 14,000 volumes, 800 periodical titles, and 100 items in the archival collection. The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives were inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1996.[2]

Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
Partial view of the library stacks, with six rows of stacks of bookshelves. Part of a rainbow flag and United States flag are visible hanging from the ceiling.
Gerber/Hart Library stacks
Map
42°00′00″N 87°40′18″W / 41.999970°N 87.671641°W / 41.999970; -87.671641
LocationRogers Park, Chicago, United States, United States
ScopeLGBTQ materials
Established1981; 43 years ago (1981)
Other information
DirectorErin Bell
Websitewww.gerberhart.org

Although a private non-profit, the library has received public funding for its continuing operation from Illinois' "Fund for the Future," including a $25,000 grant in 1999.[3]

Location

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Gerber/Hart was originally located in the offices of Gay Horizons (now known as the Center on Halsted[4]).[5] In 2012, the library moved into its current location in Rodgers Park, a neighborhood in northern Chicago, IL.[6][7] It is housed in the Howard Brown Health building on Clark Street,[8] where the organization rents several rooms on the second floor.

Alongside a reading room and free circulating library, Gerber/Hart also has a physical exhibition space, which rotates throughout the year.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "The Illinois Department of Human Rights commemorates LGBT Pride Month". Illinois Department of Human Rights. 2006-06-19. Archived from the original on 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  2. ^ "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". glhalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Enrolled Act SB630". State of Illinois 91st General Assembly Legislation. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-08-09.
  4. ^ "Center on Halsted History". Center on Halsted. Retrieved Nov 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "A Brief History of Gerber/Hart Library". www.lib.niu.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  6. ^ Tribune, Hannah Edgar | Chicago (2022-03-30). "At 40, Gerber/Hart, the Midwest's independent LGBTQ library and archive, is on the move — again". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  7. ^ Tribune, Chicago (2012-04-26). "Historians up in arms about archives future". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  8. ^ "Hours and Location". gerberhart. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ "Exhibits". gerberhart. Retrieved 2024-11-05.

Further reading

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