Kenneth R. Haslam, MD Polyamory Collection: 2019 Update

About Dr. Haslam's Contributions to the Kinsey Institute Collections

Dr. Kenneth Haslam has been a leader in organizing and documenting the polyamory community, and in introducing polyamory into the academic sphere. At the institute, Dr. Haslam has served as an outstanding collection adviser to the Director of the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections for the past twelve years, and has provided valuable resources to scholars and students who study the polyamory communities and history.

Dr. Haslam wishes to announce his decision to retire in the near future from his advisory role as the Polyamory collection adviser, and has designated Heath Schechinger, PhD, to continue the advisory role to the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collection. The Kinsey Institute gratefully acknowledges Dr. Kenneth Haslam's contributions to the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections.

About the Kenneth R. Haslam, MD Polyamory Collection

Dr. Kenneth R. Haslam, MD donated a polyamory  collection that bears his name at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University more than a decade ago. The Kenneth R. Haslam, MD Polyamory Collection consists of conference materials, Internet resources, media coverage, and research articles, as well as biographical information about Dr. Haslam including his personal correspondence and papers originally delivered at poly-oriented meetings, sex research and sex therapy conferences. Additionally, there are materials from several other donors relating to research, media response, and community communications and publications. The bulk of the collection represents the work of Dr. Haslam and other poly-activists from about 1970 to the present. 

Dr. Haslam’s decision to develop the polyamory collection at the Kinsey Institute reflected his interest in providing information and educating the public about polyamorous relationships. Dr. Haslam’s presentations, featured in this collection, are geared towards educating professionals, practitioners, the public, and the poly-community; they form a framework for understanding polyamory, along with snapshots of various lifestyles and communities.

Many different polyamory groups and communities are represented in the collection, including the 1970’s Kerista Community and the Church of All Worlds in the U.S., as well as international materials, such as Dutch language publications from The Netherlands. The collection also contains newsletters that  were the precursors of Loving More magazine, as well as a complete collection of Loving More magazine. The vast array of internet community resources includes listserves, blogs and journals, and websites. Examples are archives of the website “Polyamorous Percolations,”  “the swingers’ podcast, Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness materials, and archives of various web-based discussion groups. There is a polyamory bibliography containing a variety of materials, including books and the holdings of the polyamory archive held by the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections.

About Dr. Heath Schechinger

Dr. Schechinger will advise the Director of Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections on various collection matters including development and growth of the Kenneth R. Haslam, MD Polyamory Collection. The Kinsey Institute Library will also solicit Dr. Schechinger’s advice for projects or research from scholars who utilize the polyamory collection for their dissertation thesis or other scholarly activities.

Dr. Heath Schechinger is a Counseling Psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and Co-chair of the American Psychological Association Division 44 Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force. Dr. Schechinger has published multiple peer-reviewed articles including the largest study to date addressing effective therapy practices with consensual non-monogamy clients. Through the Consensual Non-monogamy Task Force, Dr. Schechinger and Dr. Amy Moors have led efforts to assemble a team of nearly seventy interdisciplinary professionals to accomplish 12 Initiatives aimed at generating research, creating resources, and advocating for the inclusion of consensual non-monogamous relationships in (1) Basic and applied research, (2) Education and training, (3) Psychological practice, and (4) Public interest. A few of the campaigns  include focussing on legal issues, intersectional identities, as well as therapist education and practice recommendations.

"The Kinsey Institute library and staff thank Dr. Haslam for many years of great contributions and look forward to working with Dr. Schechinger in the future."

~ Liana Zhou, Director of the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections

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For more information about the Kenneth R. Haslam, MD Polyamory Collection >

To discuss donations for the collection, please contact Kinsey Institute Library Director Liana Zhou at zhoul@indiana.edu.