Publications and Research
Document Type
Book Chapter or Section
Publication Date
1998
Abstract
This article traces the founding of the Lesbian Herstory Archives in the context of radical archiving and lesbian institution building. It includes an outline of problems presented by "extra-legal" or outlaw material in archival settings. Discussion of the New York Public Library's Becoming Visible exhibit reflects the 1990s growth of mainstream institutional interest in gay, lesbian, and transgender archives, and the complications this interest presents.
Included in
Archival Science Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
Comments
Originally published in James V. Carmichael, ed. Daring to Find Our Names. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998. Republished with permission.
Author’s note: Thanks to the women of the Lesbian Herstory Archives - especially Amy Beth, Deborah Edel, Joan Nestle, and Maxine Wolfe - for their comaraderie and significant contributions to this article.
Author's Biography: Polly Thistlethwaite volunteered at the Lesbian Herstory Archives from 1986 until 1996 while employed by day as a librarian at New York University (1986-90) and Hunter College (1990-7). At the time of writing, she lived in Denver, Colorado and worked at the Colorado State University Morgan Library in Fort Collins (1997-2002). Since 2002 she has worked at the Graduate Center Library, City University of New York.