Urban Fiction is its own genre and I would shelve those books separately. The branch where I used to work did so and also moved the section to a more visible location and circulation went up: I had a patron ask for Sister Soulja books and she was delighted to learn that there was a whole collection of books in the same vein.
Three reasons to shelve Urban Fiction separately
1. It is a distinct genre. Urban Fiction doesn't lump all Black authors together, it is specifically for "street" themes.
2. Keeping Urban Fiction on its own shelves would allow a fan of one author or title to easily discover additional "read-alike" books.
3. I don't have a third reason to do it.
LGBTQ fiction is a broader collection of titles that are by and/or feature LGBTQ characters. It's not a single genre and features several populations. I would not shelve these separately but integrate them into the adult fiction collection.
Three reasons to keep LGBTQ books integrated with the rest of general fiction
1. It is not a distinct genre. "LGBTQ fiction" would include multiple genres.
2. Separating every book featuring LGBTQ characters or themes would be "othering" this diverse group.
3. Shelving LGBTQ books with other fiction would allow a patron to pick up a book they may not have otherwise done, encouraging diverse reading.
Hi Jenni! I like that you separated these two and note that Urban fiction is a distinct genre, unlike LGBTQ books. You make a compelling case for Urban fiction to be separated!
ReplyDeleteMy local library separates mystery fiction into its own section, I can see how urban fiction as its own literary form could be sectioned off in a similar way. Grouping them together would make them much more readily accessible and findable. Like you mentioned in your first point though, librarians would have to be careful not to put works into that section just because of the author alone, or the setting being in an urban environment, and I think it would benefit readers to be equally vigilant as well
ReplyDeleteJenni, I agree that there is a difference in the cases of Urban Fiction and LGBTQ fiction. If my library separated genres, I agree with you that Urban Ficiton is deserving of its own place, where LGBTQ is not, basically for the exact reasons you mention.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I think I thought too much of the themes on Urban Fiction rather than the general genre. I honestly have never heard of it as a genre but after what you have stated hear I can see where having it in a separate place would help more than harm.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point about Urban Fiction specifically covering "street themes." I don't think a lot of people normally see it that way. At least a lot of the patrons who come into my library asking for Urban Fiction don't. They are specifically looking for out African American authors. Maybe if more people understood the distinction, then more places would have a separate section for Urban Fiction.
ReplyDeleteWe had very similar thoughts on this! I always thought of Urban as a separate genre with distinct themes, like how romance is separated by its HEA. As a romance reader, it would honestly be very annoying for me to have to go through all the collection to find the books I want. Also, I often wander throught our romance section and find 5 books to add to my TBR. Separating books based on the distinct themes within them makes it easier for people to find the books they want.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenni,
ReplyDeleteI want to echo your experience with patrons enjoying the urban section being separated. Every patron I've ever directed to the urban section has been delighted to find them all together. (Of course, someone may be privately annoyed by this but not sharing their feelings, in which case I would invite them earnestly to share their reasoning).
Great post with well thought out reasons - sounds like a lot of your classmates feel the same way!
ReplyDeleteJenni,
ReplyDeleteI'm still debating whether I think Urban Fiction should be separated, and it probably depends on the size of the collection and the location of the library. In my small-town library where we're still working to increase the diversity of our collection, I think there would be a risk of creating the impression that the themes of Urban Fiction describe the experience of all Black people, which is exactly the opposite of what we are trying to do with diverse titles.