by Susan Jordan
Gerry Szymanski is a professional librarian who works at the Sibley Library of the Eastman School.He is also a photographer, filmmaker, animator, classical music DJ and much more. However, it was for his years of dedicated volunteer work with the Library and Archives that the Gay Alliance honored Gerry at the volunteer appreciation party on Sept. 27.
The Library, located next to the GAGV Youth Center, currently has 5,000 titles, 300 videos and over 1,000 periodicals, including very early and rare magazines like “One” and “The Ladder.” The Archive, housed in a basement storage room, was recently re-organized by volunteers, and is connected to the Shoulders to Stand On history project. Computers with Internet access are available during library hours as part of the David Bohnett Cyber Center. For hours, see end of article.
Empty Closet: When and how did you get involved with the Library and Archives – and did you have a “Eureka” moment when you first saw the collection?
Gerry Szymanski: It was 2003 or 2004 when Todd Plank, then Program Director at the Gay Alliance, invited Ove Overmyer and me to the old community center on Elton St. The main room was going to be painted and volunteers wanted to take the book shelves down, so Todd thought it would be a good idea if Ove and I, as professional librarians, took a look at the collection.
I realized it was a treasure trove. We found later that there were some very rare things. We decided we needed to start paying attention to it. We started organizing it and realized we needed to work on it once a week. So we set Wednesday nights as hours when the library would be open.
We moved the collection from the big open room, where people had unrestricted access and took what they wanted, sometimes without returning the items, to a room with a door, which meant that we could control access for the first time.
The collection dates to 1971 or thereabouts, but includes materials that are much older. This was the first time that the collection had been cared for in a professional way. We started receiving donations of books, and we expanded the library to three rooms at Elton St. Then, when that building was sold to ArtWalk, we moved it all over here (to the Auditorium Center).
It was a huge task to move it all! We started doing some true organizing of the collection, and with Internet access, we started researching other libraries to see who keeps gay materials and we discovered some libraries said they had them, but investigating further, they didn’t really have them on the shelves!
EC: Installing the new bookcases that we will be able to buy with funding from Xerox means that volunteers will be able to replace the Dewey decimal system numbers with Library of Congress numbers, which will enable us to get a standardized online catalogue. Why is it important to get a standardized online catalogue that can be browsed on WorldCat?
GS: WorldCat has over one billion bibliographic records. If you search for anything, WorldCat will tell you what libraries have those materials all over the world, starting with the collections closest to you. Having your collection seen on WorldCat is a way for other libraries and patrons everywhere to know if you have a particular book, videotape or periodical. It’s a shared source of information – once a bibliographic reference is online, others can note that they have it too.
EC: So people can find materials in our collection without even knowing that the Gay Alliance exists.
GS: Yes.
EC: In the past you have had open houses with book sales and readings by local authors. Any plans coming up in 2012?
GS: We’d like to have an open house in the spring, once the new shelves are up and everything is organized. It will probably be in April. Look for information in the March EC!
EC: What do you feel are the most valuable – in the sense of important and useful – contents of the collection?
GS: I think the fact that we have a book or DVD that’s going to help someone deal with coming out, or with a relationship issue, or exploring trans issues – that is the most valuable thing. It can be a different item for each individual, based on their own needs.
For some things, the most recent publications are best – like medical or legal issues. But we’ve found a lot of things are universal, and older items that show how things were, and how viewpoint and laws and medical research have changed over the years, can be equally useful.
It’s sort of the cultural history of our tribe.
EC: What would you like people in our local community to know about the library and the archives?
GS: I’d want to make sure that everyone is aware of our existence and hours and all that, but also that there are people here who are knowledgeable about the collection and how it can be used both for education and entertainment – like recommending a book to take to the beach.
Almost everything circulates. Almost everyone brings back their materials. We do keep track of that – it’s great to have a way to keep track of it. And everyone brings the materials back – we don’t have to have fines. If something is overdue, all we have to do is call; we get people’s phone numbers when they check things out and they bring the items in right away.
It’s all volunteers taking care of the collection and helping to move it forward.
EC: Which brings up the question, what kind of tasks do the volunteers do, do they have to have professional experience, and how do they contact us to get involved?
GS: We do have some professional cataloguers, and they work on adding items to LibraryThing (online site). But volunteers don’t have to have any library experience. We always need volunteers for processing gifts, adding magazines to the collection, re-housing the old Empty Closets downstairs in the archives, and organizing archival materials.
It’s a huge group effort.
People interested in volunteering should contact Jeannie Gainsburg at jeanneg@gayalliance,org or 244-8640 ext 14.
EC: Anything you’d like to add?
GS: Just the fact that we’ve really tried to integrate the Library and Archive into the community. We have a presence in The Empty Closet, we have sponsored ImageOut films for the past five years, we were in the Pride Parade, Festival and Picnic. We’ve had our open houses and sales. We’re really trying to reach out to the community and make sure they know we’re here.
Gay Alliance Library hours are Sunday, 3-5 p.m. and Monday and Wednesday, 6-8 p.m. The Library is located on the first floor of the Auditorium Center, 875 E. Main St., next door to the Youth Center. Two computers with Internet access are available as part of the David Bohnett Cyber Center.