Library

 

The Peter T. Millard Memorial Library

In 1972 the Zodiac Friendship Society was formed. The Zodiac Society soon decided that a library was needed to educate and entertain the community as well as being a repository of the community’s history. Neil Richards was the first person to take on the role of librarian. Neil was allowed a budget to purchase books for the library and he spent it well. The University Bookstore saw a lot of Neil Richards in those days. Donations have always played a large part in building the library’s extensive collection. Peter Millard donated his entire library after his death in late 2001. The Avenue Community Centre (GLHS) renamed the library The Peter T. Millard Memorial Library in his honour. In more recent times Thomas Fournier reorganized the entire non fiction section by subject using the Library of Congress classification system. There is approximately 1700 items in the current collection. New books were added and are constantly being added. The Avenue Community Centre strives to acquire books to suit all tastes and viewpoints. Come in to the library, if you please, and check it out.

Everyone is welcome to browse our resource library; however, you need to be a member of the Avenue Community Centre to take resources out of the office.

T. Fournier
2006

 

Evolution of our library

Did you know the Avenue Community Centre has a library?
Have you ever browsed through our library?
Watched a movie in our drop-in centre?
Stamped out a book?

We would like to encourage you all to come out and take a look at what our library as to offer. You are welcome to take some time and read in our office or stamp out the book to take home to read at your own leisure. To take books out of the centre you must be an Avenue Community Centre member. Membership is $10 a year, however the membership fee can be waived for underemployed or low income people.

In the past year we have seen many changes happen in the library of The Avenue Community Centre. Our shelves used to be overflowing with multiple copies of novels and non-fiction books with outdated information. Our first purge of these books have allows for us to make room for the hundreds of books community members have donated to this centre over the past few months. As it stands our library houses over 1700 books and still growing strong because of your generosity. Our biggest growth has been in the fiction section including many new authors to our library like Mark Roeder, Ally Blue, Alex Sanchez,James Lear, and Jeanette Winterson as well as increased presence of authors like Rita Mae Brown, Armstead Maupin and Gore Vidal.

Despite our increase of books into our library we are still looking for lgbtt books to enhance our growing collection. Our non-fiction section could use a major boast in books focusing on bisexual, transgender and two-spirit people. Subject like lgbtt families, healthy queer relationships and Canadian lgbtt books are underrepresented in our library. If you have lgbtt books that you would like to donate please do not hesitate to contact Garnet at 665-1224 or or email him .

 

 

Film Collection

Thanks to the generosity of the supporters of our centre we have dramatically increased the number of queer movies in our library. Unlike our books, we do not lend out our movies, but people are more then welcome to watch them in our office. At present we are in the process of phasing out our VHS collection and replacing it with DVDs so if you have queer movies on DVD that you would like to donate to the centre please contact Garnet at 665-1224 or email him.

 

 

Celebrating a History of Diversity: Lesbian & Gay Life in Saskatchewan, 1971 – 2005 A Selected Annotated Chronology by Neil Richards

This website & book are great resources describing events that happened in the community from 1971 to present day. We have a limited number of print copies available at The Avenue Community Centre or you can download it from the website:

Saskatchewan Resources for Sexual Diversity

The book was launched on Thurs, 24th November 2005 at both the University of Saskatchewan library and at the Avenue Community Centre.