DAYTON, Ohio — For many people in the LGBTQ community, finding a place to ask questions, learn, relax and be themselves isn’t always easy.

When it comes to finding books and programs, many might not know where to start.

However, one Ohio library system is opening a new chapter for acceptance.

What You Need To Know

  • Jordan Ostrum has been working in his new role as the Dayton Metro Library LGBTQIA+ Services Specialist

  • Dayton might be the only library system in the country with this type of position

  • Ostrum helps connect the community to resources and materials, and he plans LGBTQ-friendly events

  • As a specialist, he also can make suggestions on books and materials to add to the collections

At the main library in downtown Dayton, Ohio, there’s a specialist with a unique role, and he’s making a big difference.

Jordan Ostrum is the first LGBTQIA+ services specialist at the Dayton Metro Library.

“I really love, in library land we call it readers advisory, which is advising people on what books they might love to read next,” Ostrum said.

He’s been in this role for less than a year, and he believes he might be the only specific specialist like this in the entire country.

“I went to the Public Library Association this year, which I think had 7,000 librarians under one roof. And no other library that I talked with or researched had this role," he said. "So I think Dayton should be really proud about this."

Ostrum grew up in Wyoming, and this job brought him to Ohio for the first time.

He’s able to bring his own background to the table.

“I’m very lucky to be a Queer man with a Lesbian mother, but it was hard in my childhood," he said. "My mom was scared. I was raised right after Matthew Shepard had been murdered."

In this role, Ostrum is in constant contact with the community.

He helps people find material and resources, and he plans a lot of events.

“It’s lovely to have someone who is centralized and supporting people in our actual branches as well as really getting into taking from meeting the base needs to really elevating that up,” Assistant EDI Director Megs Francis said.

“I was able to help someone who was looking for a job," Ostrum said. "The person was trans, and they were really concerned they weren’t going to be able to find employment that respected their basic humanity, and I was able to point them in the right direction."

These days, many libraries and educators find themselves under scrutiny by lawmakers over content.

For example, Ohio House Bill 556 would charge teachers and librarians over material deemed inappropriate or offensive.  

“For a long time, we’ve had this understanding that ‘ok if you don’t like a book, you don’t have to read it’. But that doesn’t mean you can block anyone else from reading it and for some reason that basic premise of our society is being questioned now,” Ostrum said.

Last year, the Dayton Metro Library officially became a book sanctuary.

“We believe that free people read freely,” he said. 

Ostrum can help protect the books and can help improve the collection.

“He will add to that collection," Francis said. "He works very closely with our collection development team to find materials that are needed in the community to help fill those gaps."

For Ostrum, it’s a new role and one that matters.

“We can show people futures that they might not be able to imagine for themselves," he said. "That’s what we’re here for, is to build bridges between community members and to show them that regardless of their circumstances, they can make it because they belong."

Ostrum and the Dayton Metro Library are planning and gearing up for a major history summit this Fall focused on the transgender community.

It will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the main library.