Out on loan: a survey of the use and information needs of users of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Collection of Brighton and Hove Libraries

Reports results of a questionnaire survey of users of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Collection (LGB) located in, and shared between, Brighten Central Library and nearby Hove Central Library, UK; to determine who uses it, reas ons for use, what resources are used and the benefits of having a separate and centralized collection. Questionnaires were made available at the two l ibraries with sealed boxes provided in which to deposit responses to ensure anonymity and confidentiality and were available during November and Decem ber 1997. Forty four completed questionnaires were received and the results were analysed using SPSS. The importance of the Collection to the LGB comm unity was confirmed, but the view that such collections also serve the wide r community could not be supported from the profile of respondents. Conclud es that separate collections aid information access and that concerns of 'g hettoization' seem unfounded. A centralized collection increases access and availability and bibliographies aid access and possibly lead to greater us e. Most respondents use the LGB Collection for recreational use, particular ly fiction, highlighting a gap in the research literature and showing that even advocates of LGB Collections have underestimated this need.