Week 14 Prompt Response: LGBTQ Fiction and Urban Fiction

There is no universal answer for whether or not certain formats, like LGBTQ and Urban Fiction, should be separated from the wider Fiction collections in public libraries. Just as libraries develop their collections and choose books based on community needs and interests, the decision to create separate collections for certain formats is also dependent on each library's needs and demographics. Feasibility constraints such as space and the ability of staff to maintain these collections adequately need to be considered as well. To answer this question, I will consider my library specifically. Based on patron RA inquiries/community interests, the fact that we do not already separate books by genre, and the availability of alternative methods for promoting these types of formats, I would not separate them at my library.

1. Types of RA inquiries and Community Interests: At my library we rarely receive RA questions about LGBTQ and Urban Fiction formats. Although the argument can be made that patrons are more reticent to engage in conversations about these kinds of books, the small number of inquiries about these formats reveals that they are less popular and sought out at my library. Further, the demographics and library usage habits of our patrons do not necessitate the purchasing of high volumes of these books, and so there would be little need to create a separate section for them. 

2. We don't separate genres: At my library, all of our Fiction is mixed together. For patrons who are looking for a specific genre, we provide genre spine labels. Because of this practice, it would not make sense to separate Urban and LGBTQ Fiction from the broader collection. We don't separate based on genres, so it would seem misplaced to do so for specific formats. It also might look like we're segregating titles based on the race, gender, and sexual orientation of the books' characters. In libraries where genres are kept separate, maintaining separate collections for these formats would make more sense, but not at my library.

3. There are many alternatives to physical separation. One might argue that separating these formats will help patrons find these books easily, but there are other ways to highlight and guide readers to their favorite Urban and LGBTQ titles without isolating them into separate collections. First, special spine labels can make these books easily identifiable to readers who are browsing the stacks. Booklists can be made containing popular and newly purchased titles in each format. Finally, book displays containing these formats can become part of the library's regular display rotation. 

Each library has to make its own decision about separating LGBTQ and Urban formats from the wider collection. If it were up to me, I would not do it. Taking community needs and interests into account and our current practices of mixing genres together, separating formats would seem misplaced. As long as promotion of these types of materials is a priority at the library and libraries continue to create diverse collections, separating based on format does not seem necessary.