Robert Gaylor collection of LGBTQ Ephemera

Robert Gaylor worked as a librarian at Oakland University from 1965 to 2001 when he obtained professor emeritus status. Professor Gaylor began collecting GLBT materials in the 1960s when it was difficult to find information about LGBT communities and issues. He not only collected books and periodicals, but also volunteered at various libraries and organizations, raised money to help educate others, and advocated for literacy and LGBT causes. He was a member of many LGBT organizations in Michigan and the U.S.

Professor Gaylor's collecting activities were broad and inclusive. LGBT periodicals such as the Cruise magazine, a Detroit-Ferndale publication, were available at local gay bars, which he would visit weekly to pick up the latest edition for his collection. He subscribed to many other magazines and newspapers as early as the 1960s. And he received mailings from the many LGBT organization he was a member of, or was otherwise interested in.