Week 14 Prompt

I struggle with my decision of whether to separate out or keep titles in with the regular fiction.  At the library where I work, we've separated out the urban fiction collection and we've noticed an increase in circulation for these items.  Most patrons are thrilled that they can just go to one section and not have to remember authors, titles, etc. and can truly browse the genre they want all in one place.  We have only had one complaint about separating out the urban fiction because they did feel like it promoted segregation.  That is one reason why I would not separate out LGBTQ fiction - I encourage people stumbling upon a book that they may not have read otherwise.  I just don't know if I have a good reason why I feel one way about one collection and another way about a different collection.The reasons I have for separating out urban fiction are:

• It's a popular genre in our community - more popular than for say Westerns, which are also separated out.

• It's a collection patrons like to browse, but get frustrated if they have to browse shelf after shelf to find one or two scattered among Evanovich and Patterson. A great NoveList article I found warns that libarians should "Be aware that many readers of urban fiction will be new to the library -- and if they discover that there is no separate section for urban fiction books (most libraries don't have one), they may be frustrated or unwilling to return" (Zellers).

• Patrons are sometimes embarrassed to ask a librarian where to find urban fiction, especially if they don't know the genre is CALLED urban fiction. For example, I had a patron come up to me after circling around the desk waiting for our male librarian to leave and ask (in a whisper) if the library had any 'African American steamy books...y'know the ones with lesbians, drugs, money...' When I showed her the urban fiction section, I told her I had read a couple, and talked to her a few moments. She began to laugh loudly, gave me a hug, and proclaimed me the most awesome librarian ever and our library as the best ever.  No small feat! 

• Urban fiction accounts for a good number of our missing books. We often find covers torn and stuffed away in shelves. By pulling the collection together in an area that is covered well by the security cameras, we've seen less instances of defacing.

Even though stumbling across an urban fiction book in the regular fiction section is a benefit, sometimes patrons will still turn away.  One way that we have gotten staff trying out urban fiction is to make it a required spot on our Winter Reading Bingo.  We also want to try this with our patrons in the future. This way, we're not requiring it, but for people that are willing to read outside their zone (and are competitive!), this might be a way to snag new, unexpected readers.While the YA rooms do not have large urban fiction collections, I have pulled out the titles and made a small display.  Before we separated out the adult urban fiction collection (and ordered a great deal of new books to make a great starting collection), I would see adults browsing my small display.
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I don't believe that LGBTQ fiction should be separated and I know that sounds so contradictory to what I just wrote!  But, just like I wouldn't put a book in the urban fiction section for having an African American or Latino character, nor would I put a book in a whole separate section just because of sexual preference.The reasons I have for not separating our LGBTQ fiction are:

• Keeping titles within the regular fiction (or in which the appropriate genre - mystery, adventure, sci-fi, etc.) allows patrons to pick up a book and read the synopsis without automatically putting a sexual slant towards it.  Many books with LGBTQ are not sexual in nature, but some people's minds automatically "go there."

• Those patrons who may not have 'come out' yet would not feel comfortable hanging out in a collection with a large sign over it to search for books. I found a really nice article from Lambda Literary by blogger Lucas J.W. Johnson who summed it up perfectly: "I don't think most LGBT books would be particularly less appealing to straight readers. I read about straight characters all the time" ("Rethinking the LGBT Book Shelf"). He also wishes that books could be in a separate section and together, but for libraries will small budgets, that would prove too costly ("Rethinking the LGBT Book Shelf").  This reasoning is especially true for young adults and the YA room.

• The library aims to be an inclusive place.  By separating out LGBTQ fiction, which is oftentimes a small collection, the library could be seen as an exclusive place instead.

The reason I would have for separating out the collection is just the same as Urban Fiction - to make it easier for people to find the books they want about the subjects they want to read about.  Then again, I feel that if we segment every part of our collection, we are doing more disorganization than organization because so many books can fall into multiple 'niches' and who is to say that one 'niche' is more important than another?  I also think that genres should be based on a theme rather than the individual characters.  This is the primary reason why urban fiction is distinctive in my argument from LGBTQ fiction.  Urban fiction is about the grittiness and realness of urban life.  LGBTQ fiction can be any genre and LGBTQ characters can get a starring role or just a small scene.The main reason I have for not separating out urban fiction is because I don't want anyone to feel that we're segregating a race.  Urban fiction has primarily African American characters and situations, but many of the books also feature others such as Latinos and occasionally Caucasians.  Urban fiction is more about the landscape and the common issues of living an urban life and I don't know that a lot of people realize that distinction.

Works Cited

Johnson, Lucas J.W.  "Rethinking the LGBT Book Shelf."  Lambda Literary. 27 Jan. 2011.  Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Zellers, Jessica.  "Getting Up to Speed in Urban Fiction."  NoveList.  EBSCO, 2013.  Web. 14 Apr. 2015.