1. Out on the Web:
The Relationship between Campus Climate
and GLBT-Related Web-Based Resources in
Academic Libraries
Matthew P. Ciszek
Penn State Shenango
February 29, 2012

2. Introduction
• Increasing numbers of GLBT students are arriving at
college and university campuses due to a number of
factors
• Academic libraries beginning to assess the collections
and services provided to the GLBT campus
community
• Web-based resources form an important source of
information for GLBT persons

3. Research Question
How do GLBT-related Web-based resources
provided by academic libraries compare to
a nationally recognized measure of the
GLBT-related campus climate of the
respective institution?

4. Terminology
• GLBT is an accepted term referring to gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender persons
• GLBT will be used broadly to include people attracted
to people of the same gender, people attracted to
both genders, or people who identify or express
themselves as a person of other gender than birth
gender
• This definition also includes those individuals who
are questioning or unsure of their sexual orientation
or gender identity

5. Literature Review
• Much of the literature focuses on public libraries
• Collections as opposed to services make up the
thrust of GLBT-related research
• Welcoming reference services and non-mediated
checkout important to the academic GLBT
community
• Academic libraries have a diversity-driven mission to
serve the GLBT campus community

6. Measuring Campus Climate
LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index
• Developed by the non-profit Campus Pride, Inc.
• Colleges and universities participate through a
questionnaire on many facets of campus climate
including library resources
• Library questions focus on collections, not services
• Institutions given a 1 to 5 star rating of campus
climate with 5 stars being the highest
• At the time of research over 250 institutions
participated

7. Measuring Web-Based Resources
• Web-based resources at corresponding institutions
analyzed on the following (as of December 2010):
– Does the library make available a research guide on GLBT
studies or geared toward GLBT students?
– Does the library have a dedicated selector for GLBT
materials or indicate a library staff member to contact for
more information on GLBT resources in their research
guide?
– Does the library subscribe to the GLBT Life database?

8. Hypothesized Relationships
• A positive direct relationship exists between campus
climate as measured by the LGBT-Friendly Campus
Climate Index and whether an academic library has a
GLBT research guide on their Web site controlling for
geographical location, religious affiliation, and campus
setting of the college or university
• A positive direct relationship exists between campus
climate as measured by the LGBT-Friendly Campus
Climate Index and whether an academic library identifies
a staff resource for GLBT topics on their Web site
controlling for geographical location, religious affiliation,
and campus setting of the college or university

9. Hypothesized Relationships
• A positive direct relationship exists between campus
climate as measured by the LGBT-Friendly Campus
Climate Index and whether an academic library
subscribes to the GLBT Life database controlling for
geographical location, religious affiliation, and campus
setting of the college or university
• A positive direct relationship exists between campus
climate as measured by the LGBT-Friendly Campus
Climate Index and whether an academic library has two
or more of these three resources controlling for
geographical location, religious affiliation, and campus
setting of the college or university

10. Binary Logistic Regression Analysis
• Binary logistic regression analysis (BLRA) is used to
measure the relationships between variables when
binary data (yes/no) is present
• BLRA is common in social science research, especially
in nursing and public health
• BLRA is uncommon in library and information science
research

11. Methodology
• Binomial logit model used to determine if a
statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) exists
between the dependent and independent variables
• Second analysis using the binomial logit model was
performed on the data after statistically insignificant
variables were removed
• Second analysis performed to determine if the
strength of relationships between the variables still
existed after the rejected variables were removed
from the testing

12. Findings in First Analysis
• Strong relationship between the Campus Climate Index
and evidence of a GLBT-related research guide (Wald χ2:
11.84; p=0.07)
• Relationship between the Campus Climate Index and
evidence of a GLBT selector or library contact (Wald χ2:
10.47; p=0.11)
• Very strong relationship between the Campus Climate
Index and evidence of a subscription to the GLBT Life
database (Wald χ2: 31.56; p < 0.0001)
• No relationship exists between the cumulative value of
the resources tested

13. Findings in Second Analysis
• Second analysis removed statistically insignificant
variables from the first analysis
• Strong relationship between the Campus Climate Index
and evidence of a GLBT-related research guide (Wald χ2:
10.64; p=0.005)
• Strong relationship between the Campus Climate Index
and evidence of a GLBT selector or library contact (Wald
χ2: 8.70; p=0.003)
• Very strong relationship between the Campus Climate
Index and evidence of a subscription to the GLBT Life
database (Wald χ2: 29.84; p<0.0001)

14. Regression Analysis Findings
• Regression analysis (F: 15.21; R2: 0.11) suggests that
there is a statistically significant impact (p < 0.0001)
of Campus Climate Index on the existence of the
GLBT Web-based resources tested for in our analysis
• Weaker impact (p = 0.03) between the Campus
Climate Index and the urban setting of the college or
university

15. Discussion
• Web-based GLBT-related resources found at less than
30% of institutions surveyed
• Subscription to GLBT Life was found at the highest
number of libraries surveyed (31%)
• Propensity for academic libraries to include GLBT-related
topics and resources in another research guide often
women’s or gender studies
• Crucial limitation of this research is the “self-selected”
nature of the participating colleges and universities in
the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index

16. Recommendations for Practice
• Create a top-level research guide geared toward GLBT-related
topics and resources on the library's Web site
• Provide contact information in the GLBT research guide for
the library staff member(s) with primary assignment for
reference service and in-depth research assistance with GLBT
topics and resources
• Assign a selector for GLBT materials who is tasked to keep
abreast of resources in the area of GLBT studies and purchase
materials for the GLBT community on campus as budgets
allow
• Investigate and subscribe to GLBT-related databases and
information sources as budgets allow

17. Recommendations for Practice
• Partner with campus GLBT organizations to acquire
information and resources for the library or to place
collections housed at campus GLBT centers available in the
library's catalog or through lists on the library's Web site
• Highlight GLBT related collections and resources on the
library's Web site, newsletter, and other institution
communications to the campus community at large
• Perform an assessment of GLBT students, faculty, and staff
information and resource needs and create a plan for meeting
these needs
• Include the GLBT community in wider diversity initiatives
including programming and services

18. More Information
Presentation and resource list available at
www.slideshare.net/mciszek
Thank you!
mpc16@psu.edu