Our lending library, featuring over 1800 LGBTQ books and counting, is available to the public in Iowa City and surrounding communities. Featuring a variety of genres including fiction, non-fiction, memoir, history, yougn adult, children’s literature, and more – our library prioritizes LGBTQ subjects and authors.
Want to get a sense of our books? Browse the library catalog to discover the incredible titles we have for all ages to read!
IC Radical Lending Library:
We happily serve as home to our sibling library, the IC Radical Lending Library. A primary resource for borrowing radical literature in town. You can browse their books in our catalog, check them out when you visit our library, and follow their Instagram account for more information on titles in their collection.
In-person Browsing
If it is your first time visiting and browsing our lending library, we will set up a patron account for you on site so you can borrow our books right away!
Requesting Books for Contactless Pick-Up
If you would like to request a book for contactless pick-up, you must request a patron account before you can place books on hold. Please give us 24-48 hours to set up your patron account. Once you have a patron account books will be available to pick up on the next day we are open after you place your books on hold.
Lending Policies
Anyone can be a patron of the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, as long as our books will be returned. We do not ship books, but are happy to lend books within Iowa City, the Corridor, and surrounding communities for anyone who wishes to travel in to be a patron.
Lending Period – 3 weeks
Book renewals – up to 3 renewals (for 3 weeks each) for a total of a 12 week loan!
There are no fines or late fees for borrowing books, but a patron with a high number of unreturned books may receive a hold on their borrowing ability until they return overdue titles. We trust our community to value this resource as much as we do, aiding us in ensuring our books are available for any and all who need them.
Help our library grow!
Do you have LGBTQ books collecting dust on a bookshelf? We gladly accept donations of books in any condition that are on LGBTQ topics and/or by LGBTQ authors. If you plan to donate more than a few books or a single box of books, please contact us so we can arrange a time to receive or pick-up a larger donation of books.
#FillTheCart
Our current book drive is focused on gathering more LGBTQ books for K-12 readers in our community. We have an incredibly cute red book cart to house these books, but it is far from being full. Check out our Wish List for suggested LGBTQ books for kids and young adults that can be ordered and shipped directly to us. Or donate your well-loved and used K-12 LGBTQ friendly titles directly to our library.
