Week 14 prompt response:
It would be my initial reaction not to separate the LGBTQ or urban fiction books from the general fiction collection. One reason is space. Rearranging an established collection (like we have at my library) is a difficult process and takes a lot of planning and time. It can also leave shelves empty with books on carts where patrons can't browse them and therefore they don't get checked out for however long it takes to finish the rearranging of the collection. I know from experience that once a project like moving or rearranging gets started at the library, it isn't always finished in a timely manner or other changes crop up along the way.
Another reason is that is does take away from serendipitous discovery like the prompt says. A lot of patrons have their certain genres or authors that they stick to religiously, but there are a lot of patrons who run out of series or a certain author's works and ask for suggestions. This is an opportunity for the librarian to suggest something a little different or new for them with urban fiction or an LGBTQ book. If these two genres are mixed in with the general fiction collection, it makes it easier for a patron to happen upon them and maybe help them discover a new genre they hadn't thought about reading before. I feel like if they were separated it would make it more likely that a patron would judge the book by its cover (or genre) and would steer clear of those sections depending on their views.
My third reason is that in smaller libraries the LGBTQ or urban fiction collection might not be big enough to warrant its own section, so separating them from the collection doesn't make a lot of sense. It wouldn't be worth the time or effort to make a special section for 50 or so books. I like to think that my library has enough LGBTQ or urban fiction books to be able to separate them from the collection, but in reality that is probably not the case. I do think that a special display for each of the two genres is a great way to highlight them and educate patrons about them.
It would be my initial reaction not to separate the LGBTQ or urban fiction books from the general fiction collection. One reason is space. Rearranging an established collection (like we have at my library) is a difficult process and takes a lot of planning and time. It can also leave shelves empty with books on carts where patrons can't browse them and therefore they don't get checked out for however long it takes to finish the rearranging of the collection. I know from experience that once a project like moving or rearranging gets started at the library, it isn't always finished in a timely manner or other changes crop up along the way.
Another reason is that is does take away from serendipitous discovery like the prompt says. A lot of patrons have their certain genres or authors that they stick to religiously, but there are a lot of patrons who run out of series or a certain author's works and ask for suggestions. This is an opportunity for the librarian to suggest something a little different or new for them with urban fiction or an LGBTQ book. If these two genres are mixed in with the general fiction collection, it makes it easier for a patron to happen upon them and maybe help them discover a new genre they hadn't thought about reading before. I feel like if they were separated it would make it more likely that a patron would judge the book by its cover (or genre) and would steer clear of those sections depending on their views.
My third reason is that in smaller libraries the LGBTQ or urban fiction collection might not be big enough to warrant its own section, so separating them from the collection doesn't make a lot of sense. It wouldn't be worth the time or effort to make a special section for 50 or so books. I like to think that my library has enough LGBTQ or urban fiction books to be able to separate them from the collection, but in reality that is probably not the case. I do think that a special display for each of the two genres is a great way to highlight them and educate patrons about them.
You make some excellent and very practical points. Full points!
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