Starting this September, McMaster University Library is hosting a regular study hall for queer students at Mills Memorial Library.

Queer Study Buddies is a weekly event that aims to create a welcoming, recurring meeting space in the library for 2SLGBTQ+ students who can drop in for a group study environment and socialize with fellow members of the queer community.

The initiative is organized by McMaster University Library employees Katie Compton, Crystal Mark, Katie O’Donnell, and Kiara Weis.

“Queer Study Buddies is an open program where any member of queer community can come by and have a space to study or connect alongside other members of their community,” said Katie Compton, library assistant, Access Services at McMaster University Library.

“It’s a place to facilitate relationships that students may have missed out on because of the pandemic, and a place to feel a little more comfortable in the library and on the campus at large.”

The idea for the study hall was inspired by a similar program at Robarts Library at the University of Toronto. Crystal Mark, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility strategist at McMaster University Library, said the idea resonated with the McMaster library team as it works to ensure students see the campus libraries as safe spaces for everyone.

“One of my goals when I joined McMaster was to help make the library a space where all students can feel confident about who they are when they come to school because they can share their whole selves,” said Mark. “I am so happy to help with this project and I hope that queer students find it a welcoming and inclusive space.”

Queer Study Buddies starts Sept. 24. It will take place on Tuesdays from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Connection Centre on the first floor of Mills Memorial Library. Students can drop in and leave as needed over the three-hour time slot. No registration is necessary.

There will always be a selection of queer fiction and popular reads available, curated by McMaster librarians. It will not be a silent study space as talking is allowed. Students are welcome to collaborate with people in the room, do their homework, or just come to connect with other students.

Compton said at its heart, the program is about building community.

“It’s important to us in the library that queer students have a space where they feel safer, more comfortable and less judged,” said Compton. “Creating a space like this highlights what we want to instill at the library – that at McMaster, students can find people who support them, and they can build a community.”

For more information, email library@mcmaster.ca or stop by the services desk at Mills Memorial Library.