Quatrefoil Library
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| Established | 1983 |
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| Collection | |
| Size | 15,000+ books 7,000+ DVDs |
| Access and use | |
| Members | 400+ |
| Website | qlibrary |
Quatrefoil Library is a member-supported, non-profit 501 (c)(3) library for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community. The library was founded by David Irwin and Dick Hewetson in 1983, becoming the second LGBT lending library in the nation. In the beginning, it was not only an educational resource center but also a safe space for the LGBT community in Minneapolis. Quatrefoil is located at 1220 East Lake Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The library houses over 15,000 books along with DVDs and books in Braille.
The library celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2016.
The doors of the library officially opened to the public on February 4, 1986. It opened with a significant donation from the collections of David Irwin but afterwards received donations from individuals across the country. Quatrefoil Library shared space with the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union at 1021 W. Broadway in Minneapolis. Sixteen months after its opening, the library moved to a bigger building to accommodate the growing collection. Early volunteers and supporters include Jean Nokolaus Tretter of the Tretter Center Tim Campbell who provided ad space in his publication and George Holdgrafer of Lavender magazine. The library published a newsletter, The Gay Bookworm later christened Quatrefolio.
The library took its name from the novel Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel by James Barr. Founding member David Irwin had been so impressed with the positive portrayal of homosexuality, that he insisted on naming their collection the Quatrefoil Library.
The mission of the Quatrefoil Library is to collect, maintain, document and circulate gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer materials and information in a safe and accessible space.
The library's collection includes lesbian periodicals, documentary, gay themed poster, pulp novels and fiction. As at 2007, the volume of the collection included over 14,000 books, 1,040 DVDs, 2,123 VHS videotapes, 500 periodicals and 1,550 pulp novels. The library also houses a collection of rare and out-of-print books.
Quatrefoil collaborated with the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies to host the first international conference on LGBT Archives, Libraries, Museums, and Special Collections in Minneapolis.
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