Consider yourself part of the collection management committee of your local library, or a library at which you would like to work. You must decide whether or not to separate GBLTQ fiction and African American Fiction from the general collection to its own special place. Some patrons have requested this, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea - saying it promotes segregation and disrupts serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the reader. Do you separate them? Do you separate one and not the other? Why or why not?
This was a difficult prompt for me because I wasn't sure what would be best for the patrons. I'm used to dealing with teen patrons in a school setting, so thinking about adults in a public setting changes things (at least in my mind). I was glad for this week's readings because it helped to reinforce what I was thinking. After a lot of debate, I say do not separate the GBLTQ fiction or African American fiction from the general collection.
The first reason I don't think they should be separate is because I think it would make people feel singled out. They would have to go a different section to find books that they can identify with, and if it is labeled loudly, people might be uncomfortable venturing into that section. Many people aren't as open about what they like to read about (I know I'm not), so I can imagine the controversial GBLTQ topic can be intimidating. Walking into the African American section if you aren't African American might also be a little daunting. This would limit who actually reads these books. The library should be a judgement-free zone, but if we separate sections based on ethnicity or sexual preferences, what are we saying? What is the most important part of the book? The story should already fall into a main genre (horror, realistic, comedy, romance, etc.). Why don't we label all books this way?
The second reason not to separate is that I feel people might miss out on other authors or titles if they had to go to a separate section. Browsing the shelves is part of what makes a library great. If we take that opportunity away from patrons, I know they will miss out on non-GLBTQ and African American titles they might love. I'm female, but I don't always want to read books with a female main character. What if the library was split up into genders? I wouldn't like that at all.
The last reason connects to the second but it's for the rest of the patrons. What if someone stumbles across a book that sounds interesting, and it just so happens to be a GLBTQ book? Who are we to stop them from broadening their horizons? They would never walk into a separate section, but they choose books that seem interesting. No one wants a stigma along with their reading choices. I think not separating these sections makes more sense because it will connect to the most readers. To help people find GBLTQ or African American books, we can create lists or guides for when they come in the library or look online. These guides can help them find books but it doesn't limit them. The goal of a library is to meet the needs of its patrons, and I think this solution works best for everyone.
This was a difficult prompt for me because I wasn't sure what would be best for the patrons. I'm used to dealing with teen patrons in a school setting, so thinking about adults in a public setting changes things (at least in my mind). I was glad for this week's readings because it helped to reinforce what I was thinking. After a lot of debate, I say do not separate the GBLTQ fiction or African American fiction from the general collection.
The first reason I don't think they should be separate is because I think it would make people feel singled out. They would have to go a different section to find books that they can identify with, and if it is labeled loudly, people might be uncomfortable venturing into that section. Many people aren't as open about what they like to read about (I know I'm not), so I can imagine the controversial GBLTQ topic can be intimidating. Walking into the African American section if you aren't African American might also be a little daunting. This would limit who actually reads these books. The library should be a judgement-free zone, but if we separate sections based on ethnicity or sexual preferences, what are we saying? What is the most important part of the book? The story should already fall into a main genre (horror, realistic, comedy, romance, etc.). Why don't we label all books this way?
The second reason not to separate is that I feel people might miss out on other authors or titles if they had to go to a separate section. Browsing the shelves is part of what makes a library great. If we take that opportunity away from patrons, I know they will miss out on non-GLBTQ and African American titles they might love. I'm female, but I don't always want to read books with a female main character. What if the library was split up into genders? I wouldn't like that at all.
The last reason connects to the second but it's for the rest of the patrons. What if someone stumbles across a book that sounds interesting, and it just so happens to be a GLBTQ book? Who are we to stop them from broadening their horizons? They would never walk into a separate section, but they choose books that seem interesting. No one wants a stigma along with their reading choices. I think not separating these sections makes more sense because it will connect to the most readers. To help people find GBLTQ or African American books, we can create lists or guides for when they come in the library or look online. These guides can help them find books but it doesn't limit them. The goal of a library is to meet the needs of its patrons, and I think this solution works best for everyone.
I found your blog interesting because it was the opposite of mine. I can see both sides of this argument. I do believe it actually comes down to the size of the collection and how many patrons are actually checking out and requesting these materials. This probably applies to much larger urban libraries, and not so much for the smaller ones. I think all of your suggestions work better for smaller libraries, but for larger ones, I think MOST patrons who are interested in this genre, would enjoy the Genre Segregation.
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