If I were in charge of a collections department for a library, I would not separate LGBTQIA+ or Urban Fiction from the general fiction collection. I also would not mark LGBTQIA+ books with a special sticker. I would not do so for the following reasons:
1. Author's Wishes
In the spring of 2019, I attended RosieCon in Indianapolis. RosieCon invites award winning Young Adult authors to be on various discussion panels to engage Indiana teens and get them excited about reading. One of the author panels tackled the topic of distinguishing YA books with LGBTIA+ themes with a sticker of some sort.
All of the authors on the panel express their issues with this. They did not want to have their works singled out because LGBTIA+ characters or sexual discovery. One author compared the idea to when in concentration camps during WWII, homosexual prisoners would be forced to wear a pink triangle.
The general consensus of the authors and the audience was that separating their works from general YA based on LGBTIA+ themes or characters would be insulting and an injustice to their audience.
2. It will just confuse everyone
I will be referring to article written by the Des Moines Register in March of 2018. In this article, an Iowa Library considers " grouping books by subject and subcategory rather than alphabetical order by an author's name" (Des Monines Register, 2018).
I foresee this becoming a huge issue if this were to come to fruition. Especially if a patron is looking for a certain book. How would anyone know where to find their favorite author? Many authors write on different subjects but are still cataloged in General Fiction. Why make things more difficult for patrons and staff? Big thumbs down.
3. It's can hinder future readers
This isn't the case for all patrons who read LGBTQIA+ books but, in some, patrons are going through their own sexual discovery and feel so alone. Reading about characters that are going through something similar to what they are can be a great comfort. But if a book is marked in such a way that makes it clear to others what the subject matter is about, the patron could decide not to check out those book due to embarrassment.
Article Link
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2018/03/21/library-change-lgbtq-content-grouping-change-orange-city-iowa/445970002/
1. Author's Wishes
In the spring of 2019, I attended RosieCon in Indianapolis. RosieCon invites award winning Young Adult authors to be on various discussion panels to engage Indiana teens and get them excited about reading. One of the author panels tackled the topic of distinguishing YA books with LGBTIA+ themes with a sticker of some sort.
All of the authors on the panel express their issues with this. They did not want to have their works singled out because LGBTIA+ characters or sexual discovery. One author compared the idea to when in concentration camps during WWII, homosexual prisoners would be forced to wear a pink triangle.
The general consensus of the authors and the audience was that separating their works from general YA based on LGBTIA+ themes or characters would be insulting and an injustice to their audience.
2. It will just confuse everyone
I will be referring to article written by the Des Moines Register in March of 2018. In this article, an Iowa Library considers " grouping books by subject and subcategory rather than alphabetical order by an author's name" (Des Monines Register, 2018).
I foresee this becoming a huge issue if this were to come to fruition. Especially if a patron is looking for a certain book. How would anyone know where to find their favorite author? Many authors write on different subjects but are still cataloged in General Fiction. Why make things more difficult for patrons and staff? Big thumbs down.
3. It's can hinder future readers
This isn't the case for all patrons who read LGBTQIA+ books but, in some, patrons are going through their own sexual discovery and feel so alone. Reading about characters that are going through something similar to what they are can be a great comfort. But if a book is marked in such a way that makes it clear to others what the subject matter is about, the patron could decide not to check out those book due to embarrassment.
Article Link
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2018/03/21/library-change-lgbtq-content-grouping-change-orange-city-iowa/445970002/
You make some great points here. I really like your first one about author wishes. I think we often forget about how authors might feel about what we do with their books. How many do we mislabel? Maybe we should think twice about doing it.
ReplyDeleteYour third point is very similar to what I discussed in my prompt. If we put this books in a separate section or label them with stickers, it will be a clear sign to others what the patron is checking out. We cannot let some patrons check out what they want in peace while subjecting others to harsh scrutiny.
Admittedly, I did not even think about the wishes of the authors. That is a very important consideration and I am glad to hear that many of them disagree with this labelling. It would be interesting for libraries to explore this perspective before committing to a change.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points. Also, I was at Rosicon last year too! So sad it got cancelled this year. Great job bringing up unique and entirely valid points. Full points!
ReplyDelete