Tuesday, April 11, 2017

week 14 prompt: LGBTQ+ and African American fiction shelving


I would choose to keep LGBTQ+ and African American fiction physically integrated into the larger fiction section rather than separating them into their own sections. As Erin mentioned in her prompt, complete separation prevents patrons from stumbling upon an author or a work that they may not have sought out on their own. In other words, the segregation of sub-genres like LGBTQ+ and African American fiction ensures that these books will only be noticed by patrons who are already determined to seek them out. 

LGBTQ+ and African American fiction titles should be visible and accessible for all patrons. However, the separation of sub-genres into physical sections prevents patrons from browsing anonymously. Perhaps especially for younger patrons (or patrons of any age who do not publicly identify as LGBTQ+) seeking resources and literature on LGBTQ+ topics, anonymity is crucial. 

One drawback in the decision to keep these sub-genres in the general fiction section is the possibility that these titles will be smothered by the overwhelming and disproportionate number of fiction works created by and for white heterosexual men. With that concern in mind, I would work to promote these smaller sub-genre collections through a variety of passive readers' advisory strategies: printed and online booklists for each sub-genre, rotating displays featuring new titles in LGBTQ+ and African American fiction, and stickers or markers on the bindings of these titles to increase their visibility for the browsing patron.

5 comments:

  1. I agree with all points! It is a difficult situation. You don't want to alienate those patrons who don't feel comfortable or confident looking at these books in a separate section. Depending upon your community base, this could be very delicate for some people. I really hate the sheer volume of books you are greeted with in the adult fiction, though! It is so easy to get lost in there and end up not finding anything you want to read. I always come to the library prepared with a list for this reason. I do like your passive readers' advisory suggestions! You came up with a lot of great ways to highlight these genres without spotlighting them.

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  2. I also agree that it is a challenging situation but I do believe that the decision to separate or not should be based on the community you are serving as well. I think I would conduct a patron survey to ask them if they would want these two genres separated or together.

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  3. Leah, I have to agree with your post as well. I would also like to add to what Paige responded, I think if they were separated, people looking at the material could be looked at, bullied, or worse for what they wanted to read. Keeping the books integrated actually adds to patron privacy instead of exposing them to public view.

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  4. Hi Leah! My prompt response was very similar to yours. I'm also of the opinion that there should not be any separation for these sections. When they are integrated together in the stacks, patrons can look for any book they want without worrying about being seen by others in a specific section of the library. Patron privacy should be one of our goals, while still making the books findable and accessible through active and passive RA methods such as genre/section spine labels, booklists, and effective RA from librarians.

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  5. Great prompt response! You did a good job looking at it from all angles, there is no perfect solution. Full points!

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