Queer + Trans Histories at Swarthmore
David Obermayer • College Archivist & Records Manager
Simon Elichko (they/he) • Social Sciences & Data Librarian
Restrooms
Closest all-gender bathroom is on the 2nd floor. There's also one on the 1st floor.
Women's & men's rooms are on this floor.
Agenda
- Discussing queer & trans history + your questions
- What is Special Collections?
- Swarthmore queer and trans histories through collections
- Hands-on work with archival materials (+ break)
- Classification, metadata, and why they matter
- Queer & trans books
- Reading discussion
We've Always Been Here: LGBTQ+ History at Swarthmore in the 21st Century
Curated by Brandon S. '27
(Nov 2025)
College
Archives
Rare
Book
Room
College Archives
College Archives
Web Archives
Snapshots of websites at particular points in time
Original link from 2009 (no longer available online):
Copy of this page saved in the TriCo Web Archive on 10/19/2014:
Web Archives
Want to use web archives for historical research? Look for old URLs/links. Even small changes to links matter for finding saved copies.
Prepare for your visit
Do:
- Schedule an appointment (link here)
- Request materials in advance
- Talk to the archivist(s)
Don't:
- Bring food or drink
- Bring pens
- Forget to record/photograph citation info!
- Handle materials carefully
- Place folders/materials flat on the table
- Keep folders and pages in order
Working with archival materials
Let's take a break!
Restrooms
Closest all-gender bathroom is on the 2nd floor. There's also one on the 1st floor.
Women's & men's rooms are on this floor.
Classification, metadata, and why they matter
Correcting the record, critical reading, or both?
Drabinski, Emily. “Queering the Catalog: Queer Theory and the Politics of Correction.” The Library Quarterly 83, no. 2 (2013): 94–111. https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/10.1086/669547.
Adler, Melissa. Cruising the Library: Perversities in the Organization of Knowledge. Fordham University Press, 2017. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xhr79m.
Eli Clare, Making at Unmaking Categories
Adler, Melissa. “‘Let’s Not Homosexualize the Library Stacks’: Liberating Gays in the Library Catalog.” Journal of the History of Sexuality 24, no. 3 (2015): 478–507. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24616519.
Queer & trans books in the library
source: McMaster University Library
Library Book Basics
Example call number:
HQ1163 .H55 2022
H: Social Sciences
| Call number starts with | Floor in McCabe |
|---|---|
| A-E | Lower Floor |
| F-L | 2nd Floor |
| M-Z | 3rd Floor |
Tutorial: How to find a book in McCabe
Research Help & Advice
-
Talk with archivists & librarians!
- Contact David Obermayer
-
Make an appointment with Simon Elichko
- Email them or find a time to talk: selichk1@swarthmore.edu
- Email them or find a time to talk: selichk1@swarthmore.edu
-
Explore on your own