Librarians are often forced to the
forefront of political issues. The Orange City Library was shoved into the
public eye when a small portion of their population complained that LGBTQ+
books should be separated from the rest of the collection (Associated Press,
2018). Giving into the pressure to segregate parts of the collection that
certain individuals find offensive is problematic in many ways.
At my local library, all the fiction
books are shelved together. Separating LGBTQ+ and Urban Fiction would create
discrimination and judgement toward readers of those books. It is important to
note the motives of the Iowan patrons who wanted these books separated; they
were not doing so in order to make them easier to find. They wanted to make
books that they found offensive difficult to access. Readers browsing the
fiction section might not find LGBTQ if they weren’t aware they are in a
different section. In addition, some people might be shy and fear people seeing
them go into that separate section. Separating the books creates a stigma and
keeps readers from checking out those books. If this was for the purpose of
finding genres more easily, I have seen a lot of libraries use stickers within
the fiction sections so that every book is labeled with a genre and these two
genres aren’t specifically called out.
It is also a huge amount of work that
goes into rearranging the library collection. The technical services department
has to re-catalog all those books and staff has to physically rearrange them. A
library I previously worked at redid their shelving plan and it took many staff
hours, was confusing for patrons to find books, and the library had to close
for a short period of time to move around shelving units.
Giving in to this group would open the
floodgates for more complaints about other sections. Next people will want
books teaching kids about their bodies with graphic pictures separated and
after that another section will be targeted. The library is supposed to remain
unbiased and cannot side with every group who complains that a type of book
does not fit their values.
Often it is parents who are complaining
about LGBTQ and Urban Fiction books because they don’t want their children
reading or seeing certain materials. The ALA specifically states that it is the
parents’ responsibility to keep their children from seeing these materials, not
the library’s. “Libraries and their governing bodies cannot assume the role of
parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship
between parent and child… Parents and guardians who do not want their children to
have access to specific library services, materials, or facilities should so
advise their own children” (American Library Association, 2006).
Separating LGBTQ+ and Urban Fiction
materials not only sends a negative message to readers of those books; it also
creates a large amount of staff work, opens the library up to complains
targeting other sections, and means the library is taking a biased position on
behalf of a portion of the community.
American
Library Association. (July 26, 2006) "Access to Library Resources and
Services for Minors: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights". http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/minors
(Accessed April 13, 2021)
Associate
Press. (2018, March 21). Iowa library to separate books after complaints about
LGBTQ. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from
https://www.oklahoman.com/article/feed/1904116/iowa-library-to-separate-books-after-complaints-about-lgbtq
Hi Christina ,
ReplyDeleteI agree that if a library agrees to separate one thing, it will lead to additional requests to separate other books. As you said, the motivation was not to make them more accessible, but to create a stigma around them and try to discourage people from reading them. This is asking the library to infringe on the intellectual freedom of other patrons. You also bring up an excellent point that it would take many staff hours to move and re-catalog all of these books. That is a good point that all people, regardless of viewpoint, should be able to appreciate - it will waste taxpayer dollars to make this change.
Hi Christina,
ReplyDeleteI think you make an excellent point that if a library agrees to separate one kind of book at the request of patrons, there will probably be requests to separate others. Where will it end? And there is no way to satisfy everyone - think of all of the books on the banned book lists. If people hear that a library listened to one vocal group about a certain genre, I think it gives those groups more power to demand things of their library. This is where it is really important for libraries to have written policies about how/why they decide things.
Nice work with your prompt response!
Christina, your argument against the separate shelving of LGBTQ+ and Urban Fiction is very clear and well-written. I think you make a great point by saying that the library would be biased if they decided to segregate these particular genres to appease a portion of the community. There is really nothing good that comes out of separating these books from the general fiction collection.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned using stickers for certain genres on the spines of books. My library does this for mysteries, sci-fi, and fantasy. I don't believe we do stickers for thriller/suspense, westerns, or horror. However, I don't think stickers would work for LGBTQ+ or Urban Fiction books because it would still result in "othering" these genres as they are not only reflective of patron interests, but are more representative of marginalized groups. I think using stickers for LGBTQ+ or Urban Fiction books would still be wrong.
Hi Christina,
ReplyDeleteYes I agree. If the library gives in this will open them up to more complaints and directives from groups. Libraries have to serve the whole community and not just a loud faction making demands.
Very well written - it turns into a slippery slope and who knows where it would stop. Great response and full points!
ReplyDelete