Thursday, May 11th, 2023 from 6:00pm until 7:30pm PST
Join us for the unveiling of the new classification system and re-opening plans for Pan Eros Library, a sex positive, special collection library. Doors open at 6pm with light refreshments, and the presentations will begin at 6:30pm. Bellamy Jacobs, MLIS, will share the story of creating a new classification system as an alternative to the Library of Congress system that respects and supports materials outside of the hetero-normative default. Opportunities to support the library through volunteerism, giving feedback about the classification system, and donations will be shared as we lay out our road map for moving forward toward the ultimate goal of returning to the status of a publicly accessible and circulating collection. There will be a time for questions and discussion after the formal presentation.
A recording of the presentation, information about assisting with the classification system, and supporting materials will be emailed out to everyone who attends or registers here for this informational session. Attendance is not required to receive the information materials. The session at Gallery Erato will not be recorded.
Please note that this meeting is held at Gallery Erato and the current art show includes depictions of nudity and sexuality.
Background:
This classification project is the first step in accomplishing the long-term goal of having the Pan Eros Library collection completely cataloged online using a classification scheme appropriate to the collection. In the past, the collection was cataloged using Library of Congress Subject headings, which the project member and sponsor find problematic due to collection’s domain of human sexuality materials, as well as its focus on queer media and alternative sexual and relationship practices.
The collection and catalog have faced a series of misfortunes over the past few years. In 2016, the physical collection lost its long-term residence and was moved into storage. During this time, the scope of the collection was re-oriented towards rare and unusual books in the human sexuality domain. Materials taken out of the collection were sold and given to other collections. During the process of updating the catalog on these changes, the computer that all the work was being done on died, and the progress was lost. After another re-cataloging attempt in early 2022, the new computer and back-ups were stolen during a break-in. Now that the cataloging must be done again from scratch, it is the perfect opportunity to have a more inclusive and affirming classification system and to re-evaluate what software should be used.
The Pan Eros Foundation’s goal for this update is to have the library collection available and accessible to artists for inspiration in creating their work, patrons of local sex-positive events, and researchers. The Pan Eros Foundations hopes to support these endeavors and possibly branch out to lending materials nationwide for longer loan periods.