The archives of Chicago's LGBT library will remain in the care of the organization's former president, who stepped down amid allegations that she had kept the collections inaccessible to the public.
Karen Sendziak, former board president, is no longer a board member, current President Brad Tucker confirmed. However, she remains the volunteer curator of the archives and special collections, Tucker said.
Sendziak resigned her post as president after the library moved locations, prompting public outcry that the organization had become shut off from the LGBT community. A Windy City Times investigation found the library falling out of compliance with non-profit law. The organization further faced accusations that it had failed to organize and protect archival material.
Tucker and others associated with the library have been working to change the library's image and renew community trust. The library announced new board members July 17, after an extensive search, and the organization has vowed transparency moving forward.
"It's a whole new future," Tucker told Windy City Times.
According to Tucker, some of the archives have been moved into the library's new Rogers Park home, while other material remains in an Edgewater storage facility.
"There is still a considerable amount of stuff that's in outside storage that will probably remain there for a while," said Tucker.
Tucker said that archives remain in storage so that they can be appropriately processed as they are filtered back into the archives. He added that board members were waiting on keys to access the stored archives and that they expect access within the week.
"Right now Karen [Sendziak] has all the keys," said Tucker.
Asked if he had a response to concerns about Sendziak continuing to oversee the archives, Tucker said that the organization is committed to making archival material accessible to the community.
"The archives have always been well-protected," he said. "We have done a really poor job of processing and making them available to the public."
Tucker said that the library's reopening was dependent on a business license application, and he declined to give an estimated date for the reopening. The library has been closed since it moved locations in Spring 2012.
See recent coverage of Gerber Hart here: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Gerber-Hart-announces-new-board-members/43757.html