About the Tarpey-Schwed special collection
A Mechanics' Institute special collection of children's books and related materials documenting LGBT family representation, publishing history, library access, and public debate from the late 1960s into the twenty-first century.
Collection purpose
Children’s books featuring gay or lesbian parents and other LGBT family members have often been sites of public debate, classroom negotiation, and library challenge. This collection preserves that history through books, editions, translations, periodicals, and related research files.
Donation and public access
Donated by Randall Tarpey-Schwed, the collection gives Mechanics' Institute a public humanities resource for studying representation, publishing networks, family life, censorship, and the changing language of children’s literature from 1969 through 2023.