Editor and Librarian Ellen Greenblatt, 64, has Died
Author: Edit Team
July 23, 2019
Noted editor and librarian Ellen Greenblatt, 64, has died. Greenblatt passed away on Thursday, July 4, 2019. Born in 1954, she was a resident of Arvada, Colorado, at the time of her passing. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Greenblatt co-edited, with Cal Gough, the groundbreaking Gay and Lesbian Library Service (1990, McFarland). The book, the first of its kind, provided librarians concrete strategies “in selecting books and improving services” for LGBTQ patrons. A longstanding and vocal advocate for LGBTQ librarianship, Greenblatt co-chaired the ALA GLBT Round Table, and served on a number of advisory boards, including the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies (CLAGS) International Resource Network. At the time of her death, Greenblatt was retired from her position at the Auraria Library in Denver, Colorado, a joint use facility for the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the Community College of Denver, where she worked in various positions, including Associate Dean for Access, Collections, and Technical Services.
In an interview with The Lambda Literary Review, Greenblatt talked about her experience editing the Gay and Lesbian Library Service:
Not only did we know that there was a need for the information from the many requests we were getting, but we also knew the perfect people to help us put together a practical resource guide. Other folks were realizing this need as well, and so with the encouragement of the legendary Sandy Berman (an activist librarian who pushed the Library of Congress to revise homophobic, racist, and obsolete subject headings), McFarland & Company approached us about putting together a book on the topic.
[…] We wanted library workers to become aware of the needs of gay and lesbian users and to offer them ideas and tools to respond to those needs. In those pre-Internet days, it was difficult to network with others and to identify relevant resources. I think that Gay and Lesbian Library Service filled that void. Half the book was dedicated to providing helpful resource lists, directories, and bibliographies. I am constantly amazed by the number of people who have used the book. I have received letters and emails from around the globe. Many students have told me it is the only book they bought in library school.
