Collections

• About the Library

ABOUT THE LIBRARY

As a part of Tom of Finland Foundation, the Library serves the efforts of the Foundation by collecting, organizing and making accessible the published material as opposed to archival or artwork. This material is composed of Tom’s work as well as other erotic artists, and material having to do with the Homosexual experience in general.

One of the primary goals of Foundation is to promote Tom’s work along with other erotic art so that it receives the academic attention it deserves. By observing general professional library standards, by interacting with online cooperative library networks, and by making the material accessible by means of an online catalog, the Library is assisting the Foundation to attain that goal.

Another objective of the Library is to provide inspiration to the artist community by containing examples of work by both new and established artists and of notable historical reference. The Library also provides a great resource for students, researchers and scholars studying Tom and those artists he influenced as well as culture surrounding them.

The Library collection contains some rare and obscure materials that may otherwise have been lost and forgotten. Most of the material has been donated from private individuals or by commercial entities, such as publishers, and includes:

● Books – Comprised of the subjects listed below 
     o Pulp fiction
● Periodicals – Includes single issues of titles as well as full runs.
     o Calendars – by various artists and models, some are in serial runs
● Tom Collection – Books by/about Tom, periodicals w/articles, ToFF publications
● Special Material – Pamphlets, manuscripts, one-of-kind, unpublished. Also rare books
● Media Library – Commercially produced DVDs, CDs, etc.
     o Locally produced audio-visual materials.

The Library is organized in such a way that promotes the focus of Foundation and what is collected from donations. That is, the Library material is divided into the following categories:

● Those dealing with the Erotic Arts, including Art, Photography, Graphic novels, Literature, and Media;
●Those dealing with the Homosexual Experience: Culture, Fetish, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sex.

Of these, Art is the area that contains the largest portion and is primarily arranged by artist. Finally, the Library is working with an online system that will connect digitally with the other areas of the Foundation. Through finding aids in the Library catalog, researchers will be able to piece together related materials in the Library with the Foundation’s archival items and artistic works.