WHO WE ARE
Out On The Shelves is a non-profit, community library built and cared for by volunteers, librarians, and librarians-in-training who are committed to anti-oppressive social justice work. Although we are located on UBC’s West Point Grey campus, we are not officially affiliated with UBC or its libraries.
MISSION
Out On The Shelves aims to foster a free, accessible, and safe space for LGBT2QIA+ people and their allies to discover and share stories and resources centering on LGBT2QIA+ experiences. We understand that LGBT2QIA+ people stand at the intersection of multiple communities and identities, and we seek to empower and support them by providing access to materials that reflect their realities.
VALUES
- Accessibility: We seek to create a library space that is accessible for people of all abilities.
- Anti-oppression and Social Justice: We are committed to a broad anti-oppression framework. We are an anti-racist, feminist, decolonizing, body-positive, and anti-ableist space.
- Canadian content: We support LGBT2QIA+ writers, artists, and publishers producing creative work in Canada.
- Decolonization: We acknowledge that this library operates on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Musqueam people, and we are committed to examining how our actions and systems may reproduce colonialist ways of knowing, doing as much as we possibly can to transform these practices, and supporting Indigenous writers and readers.
- Education: We aim to provide opportunities for learning and growing to LGBT2QIA+ individuals and allies.
- Intersectionality: We recognize and affirm the unique histories and experiences of LGBT2QIA+ people with different backgrounds and identities, including Indigenous people and people of colour.
- Privacy: We are committed to protecting the privacy of our patrons’ information.
- Own Voices: We believe in prioritizing the voices of LGBT2QIA+ individuals writing, creating, and reflecting their own experiences.
USING THE LIBRARY
Library Cards:
We offer FREE library cards for anyone. You need to sign up for a library card in person at the library when it’s open because you will need to fill out a form and sign a waiver. The two things you must provide us with are your name (it doesn’t have to be your legal name) and a source of contact information: phone number or, ideally, email address. We don’t require you to show ID to get a library card.
Taking Out and Returning Materials:
Books and DVDs may be taken out for an initial 3 weeks and renewed a maximum of 3 times. Reference materials and oversize art books are not allowed to be checked out. The maximum number of items you can have checked out at once is 10 items; 4 of those items can be DVDs. You can return items to the library at any time; even if we are not open, there is a dropbox where you can place items.
Overdue Materials:
We do not charge fees for overdue materials but we do take steps to ensure that items are returned. Overdue notices will be sent to you via email and/or phone (you may choose which of the two options you prefer when you sign up for a library card). Items that are over 3 weeks overdue are considered lost. The Out On The Shelves Library reserves the right to charge a fine to replace lost, stolen, or damaged items. To replace a lost or damaged item, a fee of the retail price of the item will apply. We will also accept replacement copies in good condition for lost or damaged items.
CONTACT
Interested in volunteering with us? Want to donate to the library? Have a question that isn’t answered on our website? Want to give us feedback on the library? Feel free to contact us through this form or by directly emailing us at outontheshelveslibrary@gmail.com.
