Week 14 Prompt Response
While it is absolutely the responsibility of libraries and librarians to uplift diverse stories and hold space for disenfranchised voices, I don't think separating these books into their own sections would necessarily accomplish this goal. In a PBS article from 2015, Nikesh Shukla, creator of a test that determines how diverse a film is, said "I realized that white people think that people of color only have ethnic experiences and not universal experiences" (Santhanam and Crigger, para. 6). He goes on to lament the otherness that Hollywood perpetuates and the desire for BIPOC stories to just be seen as normal. If diverse books were to be separated, this just continues these patterns of othering and may prevent certain groups (mainly white people) from reading these books because they're worried they aren't "for them." And while the books are largely for the people they are written about, cisgender white people can definitely find value in reading diverse books.
Beyond this, we don't separate fiction genres at my library, but we do add genre stickers to some books that decidedly fit into one genre, like romance, sci-fi, fantasy and western. Without cluttering the spine too much, it may be worthwhile to add a diversity sticker that can be included in addition to other genre stickers that make it easier for shelf browsers to find diverse reads among the plentiful white, cisgender stories.
Other opportunities to highlight these without separating entirely include displays, social media posts, my librarian suggestions, and book clubs. Schofield and Sullivan (2021) said "intentional book choices that reflect humanity’s diversity are central to our professional ethics and our best practices in collection development" (p. 24). They go on to detail how book clubs are a great medium to diversify patrons' reading choices. "Book club selection offers a prime opportunity to inclusively highlight diverse authors and illustrators as well as debut titles from members of populations that are underrepresented in publishing" (Schofield and Sullivan, p. 25). They also note that book club participants want diverse books: "73 percent of respondents (in a survey of book club participants) want their group to be challenged by their book selection" (p. 25).
Finally, it's important to point out that separating the books into their own sections will bring more attention and could attract book censors, but this doesn't mean that we can't uplift and empower the inclusion of these books and groups in other ways. The best thing we can do is ensure our collection meets the needs of our patrons: "We don’t seek to change what librarianship is and the freedoms and values we represent, but we do seek to put the best resources and books into the right hands, helping to open intellectual doors for our patrons" (Tarulli, 2018, p. 248). In an RA session at last year's ILF conference, they said to always assume everyone wants to read diverse books; make the racists tell you they're racist. In essence, we should be recommending great diverse books to all patrons and not just waiting for people to ask, or avoiding offering them to people we might assume don't want them.
Tarulli ends their article by saying "In the future, suggesting books that center around gender, sexuality, and identity might not feel so controversial or emotional. In the meantime, we as readers’ advisors will continue to find new books, themes, and genres that speak to our readers" (p. 250). While we do the work to ensure our collections are diverse and meet the needs of a diverse community, this will help normalize diverse stories in our landscape and remove some of the controversy and stigma some derive from the books. Over time, this will have a positive effect of our society and ensure there's a story for everyone.
Abigail, I like how you made your point by talking about other things that you do not separate out in your library to make the point that separating out diversity full time is not the way to go. I had a similar point of view, though I think you stated it more eloquently.
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie and Abigail--I think Urban Fiction is a very specific genre, about as easy to identify as Westerns or SciFi; it just features Black voices and characters as part of its makeup. I've had patrons ask for Black authors who were looking for literary fiction, and I didn't point them to the Urban section.
DeleteI also like what you said about the RA session at ILF--assume readers want diversity.
Hi Abigail! I love your point about "ethnic experiences vs universal experiences" and I think this could be applies to the LGBTQ fiction as well. Many of the experiences in LGBTQ fiction are universal experiences and separating the LGBTQ books might hide the universal experiences within. Small thing, I kind of wish that my library had the genre stickers! We had them in my school libraries and it seems like a good way to keep all the fiction together but still call out special interests. I do wonder though will people not be attracted to the books without a sticker or will they seem boring?
ReplyDeleteI like that you mention genre stickers. While my library does not do this, we do have genre spine labels for mystery, science fiction, and urban fiction in the overall fiction section. I've been told this is due to patron demand - it's what they want from us and they find it useful. However, I do wholeheartedly agree that separating these books can be very othering, but it's not my place to tell my patrons and community what they need from me as a librarian, but what they should tell me.
ReplyDeleteMy library doesn't use genre stickers. One of my sources made a good point about stickers or designating a section separate for LGBQT+ stories. What happens if one of their peers sees a sticker or even see them in a designated section? It might "out" them before they are ready to share with their family, peers and the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteHi, I think these shouldn't be separated in schools. Some kids are not mature enough to not bully someone looking in the LGBTQ section. However, in my opinion, I think these books should be separated at the public library. I think it makes it easier for the patron to browse.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of genre stickers for some subgenres. I don't know how I feel about stickers for LGBTQ books, because I wouldn't want anyone to feel "outed" on accident. However, I had thought about suggesting stickers for Urban Fiction and other such subgenres to help our patrons out. This might be a suitable solution to the situation. Nice job!
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ReplyDeleteThis response is great, Abigail. Your point about "ethnic" experiences reminds me of some similar criticisms I've heard about the film industry. After Get Out came out, there was kind of a surge of "black trauma" films that followed, and I remember a couple of black friends of mine being quite frustrated by the fact that there were far fewer films where black people lived ordinary (or pleasant) lives.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about genre stickers! I also appreciate you drawing attention to "ethnic experiences vs universal experience." While stories can certainly have a basis in a character's lived experience as a person of color, being queer, being disabled, etc., there are so many common human threads that are illuminated by these experiences that are themselves universal: wanting to belong, the pain of difference, desire to do good in the world.
Excellent response! Like you classmates said, I also loved that you discussed ethnic experiences vs universal experience." You generated a great discussion in the comments!
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