American Library Association Rainbow Book List


The ALA Rainbow Book List is an annual list of "books with significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18" produced by the American Library Association's Rainbow Project, which is run by the ALA's Rainbow Round Table and Social Responsibilities Round Table.

History

When the Gay Liberation Task Force formed in 1970 as part of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the ALA, it was the first professional organization in the U.S. for gay people. In response to a lack of positive representation of gay people in literature, they created the Stonewall Book Award in 1971 and a bibliography of 48 gay books, freely requestable by mail. The task force later created other bibliographies concerning LGBTQ literature and adjusted their initial list over time. The group eventually became known as the Rainbow Round Table.
The Rainbow Book List evolved from these bibliographies. It began in 2008, as a joint endeavor between the Rainbow Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table. Its goal is to recommend a bibliography of books with "significant and authentic LGBTQIA+ content" for readers up to 18 years old. The Rainbow Book List inspired a new list for readers over 18, the Over the Rainbow Book List. It was proposed in 2010 and the first list began in 2011, with a focus on providing a cross-section of each year's new high-quality LGBTQIA+ literature.

LGBTQ bibliographies for libraries

Although roughly 4.5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as LGBT, "the vast majority of libraries lack high-quality, comprehensive LGBT collections" and "satisfaction among LGBT patrons is low." To ensure libraries have adequate LGBT books for readers of all ages, librarians should rely on resources such as the ALA's Rainbow List and the Lambda Literary Foundation. Library Journal recommends stocking the winners and finalists of LGBTQ literary awards, like the above or the ALA's Stonewall Book Awards, Publishing Triangle's awards, and Gaylactic Spectrum Awards. They also recommend adding books sold in LGBT bookstores or from LGBT-focused publishers. To make it easier and safer to check out these books, they recommend creating guides to find LGBT books without requiring the help of a librarian, like by creating book displays and lists.

Honorees