Anyone out there? Anyone working with an LGBT thesaurus/list of tags for describing your books?

Our LGBT collection is new here on LT. We've been managing our collection with circulation software that isn't available for web access. We've moved to LT to make the collection available to our patrons and general public.

We're interested in comparing notes with others working with similiar materials. For example, how do you choose which tags to use? e.g. military? or gays in the military?

Do your tags duplicate or only supplement the subject cataloging that comes with whatever library records you use to add books to your collection? And how do you choose which record to import - a record that accurately reflects the exact copy of the book in your collection? or perhaps a record that has more complete subject classification descriptions for the work?
Thanks!

I use the cataloging info that comes up with the ISBN number, and customize as needed. I looked at several other GLBT libraries, including Quatrefoil and some of the college library collections, for ideas on cataloging categories. You may want to create categories around what you actually have, or want to have. That's the beauty of special collections - you can make up your own rules.

Katie

Thanks Katie!

Hello. At this library I don't use many descriptive 'tags' at all. But I've built up a system of assigning works to specific 'collections' si I can locate items on the shelves. You can always add new collection groupings or reassign them. Once I reached a certain level in a sub catagory ie women's mysteries I created a new collection title and separate shelving. I only use tags if the title or subtitle doesn't include enought info about content.

Thanks for contributing Chris . . . your collection names closely match our first tag for each book (which also corresponds to our physical shelf locations for each item). But I'd like to create deeper/broader access to items by assigning multiple tags for a single work - especially our fiction titles which tend not to have much classification information beyond just "fiction". Hence my original question(s) above. Also, wondering if others are interested in discussing terms vs. just lurking in others' tag clouds ;-).

For example: "gay fiction" Do your patrons assume that category or shelf = fiction with any gay type of character? or only gay male characters? does gay fiction = any gay character no matter how small or obliquely referenced within a story? or should only items that prominently feature gay characters be categorized as such in an LGBT collection? and so on.

Thanks!

Not sure what you mean by "terms vs. lurking in others' tag clouds". As you've noticed I've already created separate collections for women's fiction, sifi, mysteries- men's and womens, and westerns. I've just about decided to create a young adult fiction coll. but most of the interst in that would be from the local glbt youth group and they have their own collection of books.

As to 'how gay ' a book needs to be to be included in the collection - It's kind of subjective. In newer material there is a minimum percentage(?) of gay content- roughly 10 %. In some older stories the gay content is sub rosa. It's there if you know what to look for but not obvious to an unknowledgeable reader. It's kind of like the characters in some old movies- Clifton Webb is never described as gay but his characters are definitely 'light in the loafers'.