Since 2017, organisations with collections related to the culture, art and history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, intersex, queer (LGBTIQ*) people from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have been networking under the umbrella of QueerSearch. QueerSearch is a registered association based in Berlin and currently has eleven member organisations.
Goals
- Networking, exchange and cooperation between queer heritage institutions
- Increasing the visibility of queer archives, libraries and collections
- Promoting the collecting, research and communication of LGBTIQ* history
- Advancing the documentation and digitisation of LGBTIQ cultural heritage
- To develop a joint online catalogue and a digital research platform
Background
QueerSearch brings together organisations that were formed in the 1970s and 1980s in the context of the LGBTIQ* emancipation movements as well as more recent collections and initiatives. The members all collect and document – each with a different focus – the history of the LGBTIQ* communities of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. They have made it their mission to secure LGBTIQ history for future generations and provide an important contribution to queer memory culture and research infrastructure.
The regional distribution of the archives and the lack of digitisation of the holdings has so far made research difficult. QueerSearch aims to strengthen the retrievability and research of LGBTIQ history, art and culture by bringing together a broad spectrum of institutions and building a joint online catalogue.