Polish librarians towards meeting the information needs of the LGBTQ+ community
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24917/20811861.22.22Keywords:
library], diversity, openness, inclusiveness, information needs, LGBTQ+Abstract
This article discusses the results of research on how the information needs of LGBTQ+ community can be satisfied by the librarians in Poland. The inspiration for conducting these observations was the research conducted in the United States by John Siegel, Martin Morris and Gregg A. Stevens back in January 2020 that was published in the “College & Research Libraries”. It is important to highlight that, until today, no one in Poland has engaged themselves in this subject. The main aim of the study was to check how librarians approach meeting selected needs of people from the LGBTQ+ community and what knowledge they have in this area.
The research using a survey questionnaire allowed for the identification of problems that librarians working in different types of libraries encounter on a daily basis. It allowed to identify problems that librarians working in different types of libraries face every day. 716 participants took part in the research. Factor analysis was performed for selected questions. It was also checked whether there is a relationship between the respondents' comfort level with meeting information needs, gender and place of residence.
During the study, 716 responses were received from librarians working in various types of libraries in Poland, of which the largest number of questionnaires were completed by employees of public libraries (560; 78.2%). Factor analysis conducted in relation to the most important terms related to the LGBTQ+ community confirmed knowledge of only selected concepts. In-depth studies were also conducted in relation to questions in which librarians were to assess their level of comfort in meeting selected information needs. The results showed that employees of larger libraries cope better in this area and have greater openness.
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