How and when to separate genres in library shelving is admittedly a subject of much debate, but the wording of this week's prompt -- "some patrons have requested it, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea" -- makes answering the question in this context fairly straightforward for me. I would strongly advocate for honoring the patrons' request. While there are cases in which the wishes of patrons cannot or should not be followed, how to shelve fiction seems to me to be an excellent opportunity to give the patrons what, at least some of them, want.
Creating separate sections of Urban and GBLTQ fiction is a practical response to patron interest, while staff discomfort with such a plan is more theoretical. Are we really marginalizing a group by breaking down the fiction collection into more browsable sections? Or does creating more fiction subgroupings actually highlight and elevate these genres? Designating sections for Urban and GBLTQ fiction also is likely to raise awareness and knowledge of those titles among staff, who can then offer better readers' advisory to patrons.
Our branch focuses on building and maintaining an easily browsable popular collection. Our Urban readership and collection is small but growing. I'm noticing more requests for Urban fiction and those patrons have been happy to be shown a specific location where they can browse books most likely to be of interest to them, even if that collection is not nearly as large as mystery or romance. Similarly, our GBLTQ collection is small but growing. Again, I believe having an identifiable, browsable section is considerate of patrons' time and interests. With good signage, these genres also will be more easily discovered by patrons who don't or won't ask for staff assistance.
Herald supports patrons who ask for genre groupings in the introduction to the 2000 edition of Genreflecting. "... most common readers (who know what they like and don't care about others' opinions of their reading tastes) like the chance to browse a manageable segment of the collection and find a number of books from their favorite genre all in one place." (xviii).
Overall, for the patrons in my current location, I would advocate for designated sections for both Urban and GBLTQ fiction, as ultimately I believe it best serves the needs of patrons, highlights portions of the collection that would be less visible mixed into the large fiction pool, and increases staff awareness of and familiarity with Urban and GBLTQ fiction. Lyttle and Walsh's summary accurately reflects my opinion, "making sure your decision is the right one for your community is ultimately the most important thing" not which books sit next to one another on a particular shelf.
Resources
Herald, D.T. (2000). Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. Englewood, Colo: Libraries Unlimited.
Lyttle, M.A. & Walsh, S.D. (2015, May 5). Separate or Keep Together? Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://publiclibraries.org/2015/05/separate-or-keep-together/
Excellent arguments! You and I seem to think along similar lines. If the patrons are asking for them, why should I not give them a convenient way to find them? You quoting the assignment got me thinking... I wonder why the staff members are uncomfortable with it... In my experience dislike towards a particular book or a particular genre are intensified if the person hasn't read it. We fear what we don't know. I wonder if there are ways we could convince our staff members to at least try a book from a genre that would give them an idea as to why a particular genre might be appealing.
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Great resources cited to back up your view! Full points!
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