PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Providence Public Library has put together the state’s first ever public community archive dedicated to the cultural and political stories and history of LGBTQ+ people in Rhode Island.
“We were aware of the gap in materials documenting Rhode Island’s queer history in libraries and archives and we realized that as a special collection in a public library we have a unique set of skills and resources to offer to the community to help tell their own stories,” Kate Wells, curator of Rhode Island Collections at the library, told The Boston Globe.
Some of the materials in the collection include the full run of Options Magazine from 1982 to present, 24 oral history interviews, and materials that are relative to the marriage equality movement in the state. The material was all donated.
Wells said the materials are in the process of being organized, described, and portions of the collections will be digitized over the upcoming months. In the meantime, people can make an appointment with the library to access to the collection.
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