American Library Association Rainbow Book List

The ALA Rainbow Book List is an annual list of "books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18" produced by the American Library Association's (ALA's) Rainbow Project, which is run by the ALA's Rainbow Round Table and Social Responsibilities Round Table.[1]

Although roughly 4.5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as LGBT,[2] "the vast majority of libraries lack high-quality, comprehensive LGBT collections" and "satisfaction among LGBT patrons is low."[3] To ensure libraries have adequate LGBT books for readers of all ages, librarians should rely on resources such as the ALA's Rainbow List and the Lambda Literary Foundation.[3]

  1. ^ "2014 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  2. ^ Newport, Frank (2018-05-22). "In U.S., Estimate of LGBT Population Rises to 4.5%". Gallup. Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  3. ^ a b Downey, Jennifer (2013). "Self-Censorship in Selection of LGBT Themed Materials". Reference & User Services Quarterly. 53 (2): 104–107. doi:10.5860/rusq.53n2.104. ISSN 1094-9054. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-07 – via JSTOR.