Week 14 Prompt: LGBTQ Fiction and African American Fiction

Week 14 Prompt: 

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?

Response:

I have to start by saying my research for this topic introduced me to many helpful RA and collection development resources that I was unaware of. 

My special topic paper was about genrefying the library collection, and I don’t think separating adult fiction by genre works well. There are many books that fall into multiple genres, so how does one effectively separate these books? “But here’s the dirty truth: LGBT books are not a monolith group, and nor are the members that belong to it. In fact, if you look carefully, you will find that LGBT literature is a robust genre, ranging from poetry and essays by sex workers to campy lesbian novels to gender variant young adult novels,” (Wanner). By shelving fiction in the traditional manner by author last name and title, patrons are exposed to all genres of fiction.

I agree with the staff who are uncomfortable with separating the genres, particularly with the LGBTQ literature. LGBTQ literature is still somewhat controversial at some libraries, and if that genre is separated, patrons might feel uncomfortable going to this different area to find books they enjoy.

If patrons are asking to move the genres because they are afraid they will accidently read one, I would tell them to make sure they read the synopsis that is usually on the back of the book or on the inside flap of the cover. I would also suggest that if they are uncomfortable with a book they check out, they can return it without finishing it.

Instead of separating LGBTQ and African American fiction, I might suggest putting stickers on these books to designate them as LGBTQ or African American. A RA book list might help patrons without separating the genres or forcing patrons to ask library staff for assistance. “Many patrons who are interested in LGBT materials will never approach the reference desk in the first place. Providing anonymous, asynchronous, or self-serve options are critical for this population,” (Wanner). 

The only way I would consider separating LGBTQ fiction and African American fiction is if the readers of the genres asked for them to be moved. “Harvey (2005) found that contrary to the view persistently adhered to by public library services that LGBT people do not want separate LGBT sections, that their LGBT Advisory Group regularly reported that more than less LGBT people found it invaluable to have a separate LGBT section in the main library with reservations being available through on-line catalogue for more rural libraries,” (Rivers). 

I think surveying these readers and asking for their opinions on the placement of these genres would be very beneficial. A small survey could be placed in the books and patrons could return them with the books. Based on the results, one or both genres could be separated if readers feel it will better help them find books.

Works Cited

Rivers, Ian. Out of the Ordinary Representations of LGBT Lives. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Pub., 2012. Print.

Wanner, Amanda. "Providing LGBT Reader's Advisory Services." What Are You Reading. 5 May 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <http://whatareyoureadingblog.com/2014/05/06/providing-lgbt-ra/>.