Enhancing Outdoor Access: Cultivating a Gear Library for the LGBTQIA+/BIPOC community

In 2021, a bike organization created an outdoor gear library to serve as a free resource to mitigate access to outdoor adventure cycling in and around the Atlanta metro area. A bike community for trans folks, gender expansive folks, and women, and who centers BIPOC individuals, a gear library was created to address the inaccessibility in bikepacking and cycling. The library serves as a free resource to mitigate access to outdoor gear—the cost of which is often prohibitive and one of the largest barriers to entry in cycling and to the outdoors. In 2022, biking as an outdoor activity saw 22.9% growth in the U.S, though gender, ethnicity, income, and education level remains a predictor of participation. While Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQIA+ individuals' participation increased, white males with higher incomes continue to correspond to higher participation rates.[1]

With the support of stakeholders and gear producers in the bike community, the organization was able to establish partnerships to build a collection of quality gear. Items in the gear library collection consist of bike bags, tents, sleeping bags, and navigational tools such as bike computers. Outreach to the local cycling community includes group bike camping overnights, skillshare classes introducing bikepacking for beginners, and “rider’s advisory” interactions. The organization also promotes the gear library through mainstream social media channels, and has also been featured in articles on Bicycling.com and Bikepacking.com.

Built on traditional LIS frameworks, the organization has also shared this framework and best practices to other community-driven cycling organizations who wish to start their own libraries for their respective communities. This presentation will discuss ways in how libraries can move beyond traditional collections, and build partnerships with industry stakeholders to work toward gender inclusiveness and BIPOC representation in the outdoors.

[1]Outdoor Industry Association. (2023). 2023 Outdoor Participation Trends Report. https://oia.outdoorindustry.org/resource/2023-outdoor-participation-trends-report