1. I think that Urban fiction, which is different from fiction that has African-American characters or is written by African-American authors, is good as a separate section. My own library has it separated out and it is a popular genre. Many of our patrons know exactly where to go to find the books they need, and if they don't know, it's much easier for us as librarians to assist them with finding the entire section. I've had a patron ask for the "graphic" books, and at first, I took her to the graphic novels. When that wasn't right, I asked a few more questions, and found that she was looking specifically for Urban fiction. It's a different enough genre that it merits having its own place. Had she been looking for a book with black characters, we could have gone into any section. It is the content that identifies Urban fiction moreso than the race of the author or characters. When patrons specifically want to read about detectives, they go to mysteries. When patrons want to read about violent crime or rough street situations, they will go to urban fiction.
2. That being said, African American literature in general shouldn't be separated. Books should still be looked at primarily via their content. A book can be dramatic or mysterious or romantic or a western, with black characters, and it should be included in the genre it belongs to. The only time I could forsee this being a slight trouble is when a patron wants a book specifically with black characters and there is nothing in the record to indicate that, so we may need to turn to a list (or create one ourselves, ahead of time). But is that really much different than any other reference question? We always access many resources to assist patrons with finding the books they want.
3. I don't feel that we should separate LGBTQ fiction. The sexuality of a character is something they cannot change, just like the race of a character cannot be changed. While some points of the story will be impacted if the character experiences things different based on their race or sexuality, the book should still be cataloged by its content overall. If there is a romance written between two characters that aren't a man and a woman, it's still a romance and will belong there. As with the above category, librarians should prepare lists or ensure that books have something in their record to assist with finding these books when patrons may ask.
Overall, I think it's helpful to stumble upon books where the character may be different than the reader. It also doesn't target people who identify as a minority race or as a sexuality other than straight as different or other.
Hi Amy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for distinguishing between Urban Fiction and African American literature....I know many patrons interchange the terms freely and, perhaps a display next to the Urban Fiction section would assist patrons who may not be clear on the distinction?
I like how segregating Urban Fiction in your library allows patrons and staff to easily locate their preferred Urban Fiction title. I can imagine, though, patrons looking for a fast -paced suspense story might not necessary check the Urban Fiction section, but, could very well find books within the Urban Fiction section that would match their appeal elements. I wonder if patrons avoid browsing the Urban Fiction section based on their preconceived notions of Urban Fiction and instead look for books with similar elements, characters raised by grandparents, parents falling into the pit of drug addition, for example, in other genres. After all, urban fiction contains elements of many genres, "Plots hurtle forward in the style of James Patterson, romances sweep like Jackie Collins and chapters cliff-hang like Dan Brown," (Munshi).
Numshi, Neil. "Urban Fiction: Words on the Street." Life & Arts, 13 Nov. 2015.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteWell done, you made many good points in this post. The standout for me, though, is your point that we as librarians are responsible for helping patrons when they start to get very specific about what they want in a book. Be it the race of the character or something else. I am of the same belief as you that the above mentioned books do not need to be separated out. If we catered our genres to every single distinguishing feature that patrons might come in asking for, we would never be able to find anything, because as you point out, they often overlap. Even if a character is African American or part of the LGBTQ community, it is still a mystery, or romance, etc.
I think you make a good point about focusing on overall content of individual titles.
ReplyDeleteGreat points made, Amy! I agree with you that a science fiction book is still a science fiction book, regardless of the sexuality or race of the characters, and that is how they should be shelved, by content.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things to consider here, and I see why it's such a complicated question for so many people. For me, I don't know that I would ever purposely go into an Urban Fiction section, just because it doesn't SOUND appealing to me as a reader. But, if I saw a title on the shelf that sounded appealing and later realized it was Urban Fiction...who knows.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it gets very confusing on a broader sense. Does any book with characters that are not cis-norm suddenly end up in the LGBTQA section? Because I feel like that could be even MORE confusing for shelvers, for patrons, and for people in general.
The greater the cannon of literature expands, the more confusing it is!
Excellent, well thought out prompt response. You did a great job of standing back and looking at the big picture. Full points!
ReplyDelete