Week 14 Prompt: Separating Collections

When it comes to collection organization (as well as most aspects of the library) I believe the first thing to consider is the needs of the community that the library serves. Would patrons benefit from dedicated sections for differing genres? Is there potential for a decision to exclude or harm community members? Etc. Because libraries serve unique communities, I do not believe there is a universal answer to this prompt, but it’s definitely worth thinking about.

For this question as well, the size of the collection as well as the available space and resources is also important to consider. For instance, within my local area we have libraries of various sizes – the downtown library with multiple floors and wings would naturally be better suited to separation space-wise compared to a small branch in the suburbs. The library I work at is the former, so I’ll respond with my current library in mind.

Regarding LGBTQ Fiction: I would not separate LGBTQ fiction from the rest of fiction, for several reasons

1. Separating LGBTQ fiction from the general collection opens library patrons who are in the LGBTQ community up to being outed publicly. Patrons who are not out or are exploring their identity may not be comfortable browsing in the section as well.
2. LGBTQ books do not fall under a uniform genre – books that would be categorized as LGBTQ fiction can range from science fiction, to mysteries, to romance, horror, etc. Separating these books into their own section may actually decrease selection, as many patrons look to read within genres.
3. Differentiating which books belong in this section would be complex and potentially controversial: how much of a focus on the LGBTQ+ experience does a book have to have to fit into this section? If a book features characters within the LGBTQ+ community but this isn’t the center of the story, would it still be categorized as such? I feel that this both overcomplicates the issue and opens up the potential for biases (intentional or not) to come into play within the collection development.

Regarding Urban fiction: I believe it would be worthwhile to have its own section:

1. My current library already separates multiple other fiction genres into their own sections (mystery, westerns, romance, historical romance, sci-fi, etc.), so this would not be out of the norm. Within settings such as this, where genre separation is already normalized, offering an urban genre section may serve to legitimize the genre to some patrons.
2. We regularly have patrons browsing within the current urban section, and even as a shelver (not at a desk) I have led multiple patrons with questions to the section - there is a demand for these books, and many patrons prefer to have a section to search within rather than having to memorize author names.
3.       Having a dedicated section may increase patron awareness of our urban fiction offerings - I for one, had no knowledge of the genre before I began my current job and saw the library's section.

As mentioned above, these considerations are made with my current library, its size, location, and community in mind. I may have a very different approach for a different library, as these factors are not universal.