Week 14 Prompt
When I worked as a SummerLInk programmer at my local library, part of my job was shelving books. This particular library had a separate section for everything. There was an African American section of books, a Spanish language section, graphic novel section, and a LGBTQ section. I didn’t hear any complaints about the separate sections when I briefly worked there. I am going to take a pro stance on this topic.
3 Reasons Why Separate Sections Are a Good Thing
1. As a shelver, I found that having books separated by category saved time reshelving the books. I would put the different categories in bundles on my cart and I breezed through the library reshelving. The library also felt more organized having different categories separate. When I helped pull books for holds, I knew exactly where to go to find what I needed. In my opinion, I feel this type of shelving is easier on the staff.
2. It is easier for the patron to find what they want to read. When I received a question on where a certain book was located, it was easy to show the patron where that particular subject was. I had several requests for LGBTQ books. When I took them over to that section, they were thrilled that all the LGBTQ books were shelved together. They didn’t have to wander all over the library looking for the books they wanted. I believe this saves the patrons time and frustration.
3. Separating the books will lead to more of them being checked out. If a patron went into the library looking for an African American mystery, they would head to the African American section. While there they discover a romance novel that perks their interest. The patron decides to check out both books instead of one. If the books were not separated by culture, it would be likely the patron never would have found that romance novel. People are busy. They don’t have a couple of hours to browse through library books. It is time saving and just plain easier if diverse categories are grouped together.
On another note, an article for the School Library Journal, Shelving Debate: To Separate or Integrate? https://www.slj.com/story/shelving-debate-separate-or-integrate, does not think books should be separate in a school setting. Especially in middle school, kids are less likely to mind their own business. An example would be a middle school boy going to the LGBTQ section to look for books. Several other students see him in that section and start making fun of him for being gay. In this situation, I think having separate sections will lead to more trouble than it is worth. Having the student asking the librarian discreetly where he can find an LGBTQ author will save him from being bullied.
References
Yorio, K. (2018). School Library Journal. Shelving Debate: To Separate or Integrate? https://www.slj.com/story/shelving-debate-separate-or-integrate.
Jennifer, your point about middle school (and high school would also be relevant) is a good one - I had not thought about that! I landed on the other side of this fence on my post, but I struggle with it. I do, as a patron, enjoy being able to go straight to the area that I like to read. And if I want to explore a new area (like Urban Fiction, which I am thinking of doing) then I can go there and browse. But your point about picking up an AA romance when initially going there for a mystery could also be used as an argument for mixing it all up. If I go looking for a mystery and happen to see an LGBTQ book that looks interesting, I'd pick it up, but I might not go to that shelf (or some other non-mystery shelf) if that's not the topic I think I'm looking for. The whole browsing idea is tough. What am I thinking when I'm browsing? The truth is I might "browse" more on Goodreads these days, and then go and pick up the book I want and then it doesn't really matter where it is. But the more I think the more I believe it's better to "rub shoulders" with different books, and that means not separating by genre. Well, that's what I think today! Tomorrow? Who knows!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! I was on the other side of this debate, but you raise great points for your stance! I have had many patrons ask me where we keep our romance, mysteries, and science fiction. That leads to me telling them that all our genres are integrated, but our older copies will have genre stickers on them (but we have since stopped using stickers. Too much mess and they block the titles). They're usually fine with that answer, but I can tell they would prefer to have their favorite genres together. Growing up being immersed in libraries, it doesn't occur to me that sometimes the traditional way of shelving books may not appeal to everyone or be known by everyone. I think what you said has some real value and I'm happy that your previous library found something that really works for them and their patrons! This has given me something to think about. Thank you for sharing!
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