The Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation, popularly known as the
Lesbian Herstory Archives, opened in 1974 in the pantry of Joan
Nestle's New York City apartment. Joan and co-founder Deborah Edel
along with other members of the original collective, formed the
archive in response to the failure of mainstream publishers,
libraries, and archives to collect and identify lesbian culture. 

Built with the gifts from lesbians around the world, the LHA now
houses the world's largest collection of lesbian material including
personal collections, books, and periodicals. Thousands of lesbians
have donated personal collections of letters, diaries, and
photographs to LHA; others have contributed clippings for LHA's
subject files, donated unpublished writings and school papers, or
offered lesbian artifacts such as t-shirts, buttons, art objects,
taped television shows, and oral histories.

LHA is an all volunteer, community-based, lesbian-operated
grassroots archive inviting every lesbian to help build the
collection. We believe that every woman who has had the courage to
touch another woman deserves to be remembered and that the self-
documented lives of famous, infamous, and not-so-famous lesbians
will enrich understandings for generations to come. ALL lesbians
are invited to contribute. 

In June 1993, after several years of a massive grassroots fund
raising effort, the Lesbian Herstory Archives re-opened in a new
home in Brooklyn's Park Slope. The archive is open to visitors and
researchers by appointment. Volunteers work most Thursday evenings
and other scheduled weekend days.

To make a donation, arrange a visit, or find out more, please
contact:
 
The Lesbian Herstory Educational Foundation (or LHEF, Inc.)
P.O. Box 1258
New York, NY 10116 

phone: 718/768-DYKE (3953)
fax:   718/768-4663

pjthc@cunyvm.cuny.edu

September 1993