Gala Pride and Diversity Center opens LGBTQ-plus focused library to the public 

Nichole Schmitz has spent the last three years working to organize a library she considers invaluable to herself and the entire community of San Luis Obispo.

"It wasn't so much that all of the books and resources were unknown, but more where they were at—it was all over the place," Schmitz said laughing.

Thanks to her efforts, the Gala Pride and Diversity Center is opening the Halter Library to the public—offering more than 3,200 books and 240 DVDs on various LGBTQ-plus topics for all to use.

click to enlarge

• Photo Courtesy Of Nichole Schmitz
• LOVELY LIBRARY Nichole Schmitz, who spent the last three years cataloging the library at the Gala Pride and Diversity Center, hopes everyone will come to use it as a source for LGBTQ-plus information.

"I am hoping that this will get out to a broader spectrum of people who will understand that we are accepting of those who are interested in being part of our wonderful community," Schmitz said. "It is community driven both in how we want the library to be used and how it was built by donations."

While the task seemed daunting at first, Schmitz—a transgender woman—said she had a unique tool to help optimize the organization.

"Before transitioning, I was a software developer so I have extensive experience in that area," she said. "I created a very rudimentary database using Microsoft Access to help tackle the task at hand."

Schmitz said that there had been prior efforts to organize the library at Gala but when she made that initial database she found that nearly 50 percent of the supposed records were inaccurate.

"It cut my work in half basically," she said. "I was able to import what was accurate into my list, and then it was all up to me from there."

Luckily, she found that while the books were scattered and often unlabeled, they were at least organized into fiction and nonfiction.

"I was able to go from left to right, along the way making note of what was already properly organized and cataloged and what wasn't," she said. "Fortunately, I have had plenty of time to do this since two of the three years I've made this effort to organize were when the center was closed due to the pandemic."

Along the way, Schmitz said she would often come across books that piqued her interest and even surprised Gala Director of Operations Serrin Ruggles (who uses they/them pronouns).

"Serrin is very knowledgeable of the works in the library, but there were a few titles that even surprised them that we had lost to the years," Schmitz said with a laugh. "There were even some Serrin had no clue had even existed until I uncovered them."

Beyond the joy of uncovering long-lost books, Schmitz said she often came across pieces that spoke to her.

"When I found a subject or a book that was interesting to me, I would add it to this little field I called 'Nikki's Choice' that I could go back and look through once I was done," she said. "I ended up saving nearly 1,000 titles, so I've got quite a bit of catching up to do."

Schmitz also found herself growing alongside her database as she worked over the past three years, realizing she gained a clearer understanding of who she was and wanted to be.

"At the time I started organizing, I had just begun my transition process as well, and by doing this I was hoping that I would meet more people like me in the community," she said. "That ended up being the case and was so important to me to get to where I am now."

It's something she hopes that—with the help of the Gala library—everyone can come to understand, regardless of whether they are on the LGBTQ-plus spectrum or not.

"There are a lot of people who may not be on the spectrum but they are allies of those of us who are," Schmitz said. "A lot of those people are very strong in their beliefs and how much they want to support us, so having a resource like this for them to cite is so important."

Fast fact

• Woods Humane Society and Petco are teaming up to provide local pets with free vaccines through a clinic held on Aug. 25. The clinic is the second of its kind to offer free DAPPPv canine and HCP feline vaccines in addition to other services for a low cost. It is just one of the multiple efforts being made by Petco Love's national vaccination initiative to provide 1 million free pet vaccines to family pets in need. The appointment-based clinic will be held at Woods Humane Society's North County campus at 2300 Ramona Road, Atascadero, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To schedule an appointment, visit spayslocounty.com. Δ

Reach Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas at [email protected].