OLGA, the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archive, located in Special Collections and Archives, part of the MSU Libraries on the main Springfield campus of Missouri State University, had a information table at the Ozarks PrideFest held last Saturday on the square in Downtown Springfield. 

Did you know the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archives, or OLGA, was founded almost 20 years ago? Professors Holly Baggett and Ralph Smith approached the Library in 2003 to establish a cooperative project with the Missouri State University Libraries, Lambda Alliance, and BiGALA (now Spectrum) to document the LGBTQIA+ experience in the Ozarks region.

Today, the OLGA related materials housed in Special Collections and Archives include regional newsletters, records of campus organizations at Missouri State University and regional organizations, photographs, scrapbooks, over 200 oral histories, and copies of the video series, This Gay Life. OLGA collections include the Drag Queen/King Photograph Album Collection and records from organizations such as The GLO Center, PFLAG, PROMO, Men’s Chorus of the Ozarks, and Black Tie. You can also find select materials in the Libraries’ Digital Collections and This Gay Life is available on the Libraries’ YouTube channel. All materials are available to the public for educational and research purposes.

The 20th anniversary of the founding of OLGA will occur in October, and we are working toward a greater representation of the LGBTQIA+ community and making the collections more accessible to everyone. A renewed OLGA Advisory Board began meeting in May, allowing members of the community to learn more about the collections while discussing the additions of more inclusive language to interview questions and OLGA’s mission. We are even considering a more inclusive name for OLGA.

Last Saturday’s Pride 2023 celebration was the perfect time to reach out to LGBTQIA+ community, and the Special Collections and Archives staff were excited to share a table with our friends from PFLAG. They enjoyed talking to visitors about the OLGA Collections, passed out OLGA buttons, and asked visitors to help us decide on a new name that would represent all voices in the LGBTQIA+ community. Members of the OLGA Advisory Board carried the OLGA banner in the parade and passed out additional buttons and QR codes that link to a 20th Anniversary Renaming survey.

Please contact Special Collections and Archives at archives@missouristate.edu or 417-836-5428 for more information about the OLGA Collections or the renaming survey.