For background information, definitions, and basic facts, consult the following encyclopedias, dictionaries, and sourcebooks located in the Reference section on the first floor. Reference items are for use only in the library.
MacPhaidin Library Reference Books Specific to LGBTQ
Coverage includes historical, medical, psychological, sociological, and transcultural and transgeographical information in biographical, topical, and thematic entries.
This three-volume set is an accessible and scholarly reference that provides a comprehensive survey of lesbian and gay history and culture in the United States. Long needed by researchers, the "Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America includes approximately 545 articles ranging from short biographical entries to longer essays surveying topics such as the Stonewall riots, federal law and policy, same-sex institutions and AIDS. Wide-ranging in scope, this new encyclopedia complements courses in a variety of disciplines, including history, American studies, literature, psychology, sociology and others. Features include a guide to archival sources, a chronology/timeline, a historical overview essay and a comprehensive index.
The revised edition of The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage is a reader's companion to this impressive body of work. It provides overviews of gay and lesbian presence in a variety of literatures and historical periods; in-depth critical essays on major gay and lesbian authors in world literature; and briefer treatments of other topics and figures important in appreciating the rich and varied gay and lesbian literary traditions.