International Archive, Library, Museum and Special Collections (ALMS) conference on the future of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex (LGBTI) Histories
Time: 1-3 August 2012
Venue: IHLLIA, Amsterdam (Web)
IHLIA, Europe’s oldest and largest LGBTI archive and library, is hosting the LGBTI ALMS 2012 Conference from 1-3 August 2012 in Amsterdam. IHLIA is the International Gay and Lesbian Information Centre and Archive, housed in the Public Library in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
IHLIA expects to welcome 150 archivists, librarians, museum collectors from North America, Europe and other parts of the world to share knowledge and to begin the process of working together to make the promise of ALMS 2012 come true. We also anticipate having a strong delegation of people from civil society organizations that want to join us to work with national heritage organizations.
IHLIA has a vision: By 2020, LGBTI people will be able to visit a city or national library and find people like them in the archives. They can find out about their history, their heroes, the struggle for their rights. We want them to explore the raw materials of the LGBTI experience. We want them to see the manuscripts of great LGBTI authors, we want to show them how our predecessors lobbied and lived and loved to create a world in which we all are part of the story.
Our conference is the starting point for a longer-term project, and IHLIA is more than willing to take leadership in the process. During the conference we will explore current developments in collecting, documenting and making available our histories. We will then take the first steps in implementing our vision.
We anticipate participants from North America, Europe and other parts of the world. In countries where there is no LGBTI memory initiative to date, we invite activists and heritage institutions. We know you will enjoy Amsterdam. The excitement and hope that the conference provides will be crowned by the festivities as the streets and canals of Amsterdam transform into a huge gay pride festivity, including Canal Pride. Yes, that’s right. The week of the conference will be filled with fun events as the Dutch LGBT community celebrates who we are. And the Dutch government will be inviting us to dinner in the Hague.
We are working on getting our website up and running, and will let you know more as the conference develops. You will have plenty of chances to interact with each other online before arriving in Amsterdam.
On behalf of IHLIA’s director Lonneke van de Hoonaard: Lin McDevitt-Pugh MBA & Jack van der Wel
lgbti.alms.2012@gmail.com
www.ihlia.nl