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? You must provide at least 3 reasons for or against your decision. Feel free to use outside sources - this is a weighty question that is answered differently in a lot of different libraries.
At the library where I currently work, we have separated Urban, Mystery, Science/Fantasy, Romance, and generalized Fiction. Many times people have suggested that Christian fiction be separated. No one has asked the GBLTQ fiction be genrefied in the same regard.
To separate GBLTQ and African American fiction would, in my opinion, be doing exactly what is being fought against--segregation. When perusing the stacks for something to read, it is easier to stumble upon an interesting find that makes issues a natural part of life instead of hyper focusing on it.
GBLTQ is still ultra controversial. Linda B. Alexander and Sarah D. Miselis state in their article "Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them" that, "not only are GLBTQ library users very private about their information needs, but they are not the only one with these needs. Friends and family of the GLBTQ community as well as teachers, consolers, clergy and, in fact, any professional that works with the public all have a need for accurate information about this group of people" (44).
African American populations, while not as isolated as GBLTQ, want equality while maintaining their culture. What better way to maintain culture than to share culture? It is easier to share a culture when perceived part of a larger culture.
Elisabeth W. Rauch writes, "Any perceived difference they find in themselves can induce feelings of self-loathing and isolation" (13). While she was specifically referring to GLBTQ teens, this can be said for anyone human. We add to that isolation when we think we are researching something associated with our own perceived weaknesses.
While, I do not agree with a starkly visual separation, I do think it is important to have readers advisory lists with these topics highlighted. With a binder full of possibilities, privacy is maintained while free to investigate topics of interest. The binder in mind contains tabs of all one color but written terms such as GLBTQ, Christian, African American, etc. Each topic depends upon the demographics surrounding the library and their needs.
Just remember, we live in a Venn Diagram--meaning we are all connected in some way.
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Articles mentioned:
Alexander, Linda B. and Sarah D. Miselis. "Barriers to GLBTQ Collection Development and Strategies for Overcoming Them." Young Adult Library Services (YALS). Spring 2007. 43-49.
Rauch Elisabeth W. "GLBTQ Collections Are for Every Library Serving Teens!" Teacher Librarian. Oct 2011 39:1. 13-16.
I like your comment - "we live in a Venn diagram -- meaning we are all connected in some way." I think that's a great thing to keep in mind when working with patrons, especially when working with diverse populations. Your opinion is similar to mine; I think that, on the shelf, there should not be a specific area for GLBT or African American fiction, but there should be readers advisory material for people looking for specific topics or styles of books.
ReplyDeleteI also love the comment about a Venn Diagram. We are all connected. And so are all books. No book is just one genre, although it may be more of one genre than another. Segregating books in this way does not do them justice or make them accessible to all of our patrons. It makes them different, and might even discourage some people from reading them, people who wouldn't want to be seen in a specific section.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your recommendations above. I think it is interesting that some other sub-genres are separated (mystery, etc.) but Christian Fiction is not. I would have to say that at my library, that is one of the most, if not THE most, requested genre. And, come to think of it, we don't even have that stickered on the shelf. That might be a good proposal for my boss!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your recommendations above. I think it is interesting that some other sub-genres are separated (mystery, etc.) but Christian Fiction is not. I would have to say that at my library, that is one of the most, if not THE most, requested genre. And, come to think of it, we don't even have that stickered on the shelf. That might be a good proposal for my boss!
ReplyDeleteI also just popped in to say I love the Venn Diagram analogy! We are indeed all interconnected. I think genres should be separated out if they share a common setting or writing device - NOT for the characters.
ReplyDeleteI also just popped in to say I love the Venn Diagram analogy! We are indeed all interconnected. I think genres should be separated out if they share a common setting or writing device - NOT for the characters.
ReplyDelete