William Way LGBT Community Center Library Catalog Now Online for First Time in 46 Years
PHILADELPHIA (February 3, 2022) — While our Library is not yet open to the public due to building renovations, we are excited to announce that our new library catalog is now live and is accessible from computers or handheld devices. For the first time in our Library's 46-year history we have a catalog that allows for online access. The Library at William Way, officially the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Library at William Way LGBT Community Center, is the nation’s oldest LGBTQ lending library. Established in 1976 as the Library of the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia, the Library collection focuses on the lives, experiences, identities, and representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. We collect both fiction and nonfiction across all disciplines that engage with issues of relevance to LGBTQ communities. The Library contains more than 14,000 books and DVDs, mostly acquired through community donation, and is managed by Archives director, John Anderies, with the assistance of several dedicated community volunteers.
“I’m so happy that we have finally made this new library catalog a reality! We have long wanted better control over our bibliographic records as well as a system that can grow as our needs as a community grow. Now we can offer access to the catalog from anywhere in the world and we can stay in better communication with our borrowers.”
–John Anderies, Library and Archives Director
The new catalog uses Koha, the world’s first open source library catalog developed in New Zealand. Migration of the catalog began during the pandemic and went live on January 24, 2022.
In addition to preparing for the catalog migration, Library personnel have been hard at work weeding the collection of duplicates, as well as processing donations which streamed in during the pandemic. There are even hopes of holding a Big Queer Book Sale in the coming months to raise money for the Library’s operations.
“Because we received so many large donations during the pandemic we have had to put a temporary moratorium on additional donations until we can get caught up,” says John Anderies.
In the Center’s future plans for a newly renovated building, the Library, Archives, Art Collection as well as Art Gallery will be co-located to take advantage of the synergies between these offerings in our Arts & Culture Programs.
Contact: Kiki Griffin
P: 813-317-3798
Email: ngriffin@waygay.org
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About the William Way LGBT Community Center
The William Way LGBT Community Center (the Center) is a nonprofit organization located in Center City Philadelphia. Founded in 1974 as the hub of LGBT community in the Delaware Valley, the Center proudly serves the LGBTQIA+ population. The Center encourages, supports, and advocates for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities through service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming. The Center has programs focused on arts and culture, empowerment, and community connections. To learn more, visit www.waygay.org.