A group of librarians recently launched a free online LGBTQ+ library with more than a thousand ebooks and audiobooks that anyone in the United States can access.
Queer Liberation Library—or QLL pronounced "Quill"—launched in October 2023 and its volunteer curators are dedicated to creating a collection that reflects the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
Users sign up for a virtual library card at the website. Once their application is approved, they can access items from the library's collection on Libby, a free app that libraries use to distribute online materials to their patrons.
Queer Liberation Library was founded by a small group of volunteers who wanted to ensure queer reading materials were accessible to people throughout the country, regardless of what's available at local libraries.
"With the current climate and book bans and lack of access, there's a need that we're happy to fulfill," said volunteer Amber Dierking. "But there's also just such a delight and joy to be able to do something like this. So, we're not just filling a need but also having fun with it along the way."
It took nearly two years to raise funds, create a website and build out the resource. Organizers chose to create a digital library because it required fewer resources to launch and the collection would be more widely accessible, Dierking explained.
More than 40,000 people currently use the library. Tens of thousands of people signed up for library cards about a month ago after a TikTok showcasing the resource went viral.
New materials are added to the library each month and its organizers regularly survey members to learn more about what they're interested in checking out. People can also suggest titles on the library's website.
Queer Liberation Library is filled with more than a thousand materials that "inspire, celebrate, entertain and educate queer folks," according to its website. Dierking said they're trying to provide texts that might be difficult to access in other libraries and prioritizing content from independent creators and living authors.
"When libraries buy copies of something, authors get a portion of those royalties," Dierking explained. "We love to support authors in that way. We're trying to balance buying from indie publishers with getting popular books that people really want to read. We hope to keep expanding over time."
Organizers are "committed to curating a collection that reflects the diversity of queer lives and imaginations," according to the library's website. BIPOC voices are a core component of the collection, and curators are working to better highlight other areas of the LGBTQ+ community that have also been historically underrepresented.
"It is a simple fact that more books have been published about cis gay men than aromantics or intersex people, for example," Queer Liberation Library's website reads. "Knowing this, we will actively seek out materials from all parts of the LGBTQ+ community, to resist replicating the historical and ongoing bias within the publishing world."
Queer Liberation Library is funded entirely by donations. Purchasing ebooks and other online resources can be more expensive than buying physical copies, and each copy comes with its own requirements surrounding how many people can use it at once and how long it can remain in the collection.
"We're trying to be smart about building a sustainable collection and trying to be thoughtful with the kinds of licenses we're buying so we can get the most out of the limited amount we have to spend," Dierking said.
People can make recurring donations to support Queer Liberation Library's work, which help organizers to plan for the future. Signing up for a library card is another way to show support, since that helps organizers demonstrate there is a need for this resource when fundraising and applying for grants, Dierking explained.
See www.queerliberationlibrary.org .
