Week 14 Prompt

    I think this is sort of a tricky question. I am all for creating separate, special areas for LGBTQ fiction, as well as Urban Fiction. I say this is a tricky question because I think there should be even more separation between genres in libraries. Just the other day, a patron came up to me and asked if there was a special section for Horror books. At my library, there is not. There are separate sections for Science Fiction/Fantasy (combined), and Mystery. I feel that having those special areas is great for patrons and I would like if there were more. 

    One of the reasons that I believe my library should have special places for both LGBTQ fiction and Urban Fiction is for easier access for patrons. If people are coming in interested to find books in these genre areas, it would be good to be able to point them in the right direction. Not only does it make it easier on the patron and myself, but it allows for readers to discover other authors in those genres. This allows for authors that write in these genres a bit more attention on their works. 

    Another reason that I believe these genres deserve their own special place in a library is because diversity matters. Books containing LGBTQ characters matter. Authors that write works in this collection deserve for their work to be seen. I believe that representation matters, even in a library. I believe that both of these genres deserve a special place in a library, just as they do in most bookstores. 

    The last reason that I believe LGBTQ fiction and Urban Fiction should have separate areas in a library is for a reason I briefly mentioned earlier. I feel that genres in general should be more separated in libraries. You see it in bookstores, especially Barnes and Noble, and I feel that libraries should follow suit. I feel that it would benefit patrons if there were more genre separations. 

    Representation and diversity matter. LGBTQ and Urban Fiction are important genres. I agree that we need diverse books, and I love that diverse books are becoming more popular amongst authors and readers. I think this is a great conversation to have and hear other perspectives!