Prompt Response - Week 14
When it comes to LGBTQIA+ books and other materials, I would love to keep the collections together. This would be the best decision because it creates normalcy with the materials. These materials would be considered normal when acclimated to the shelf with all the other materials making it something that exists rather than making it seem separate. It would create an environment where others see these materials more often and understand that it is part of life and that there is not much difference between themselves and others. With the books on the shelf, it may encourage others to diversify their reading materials and make those who are uncomfortable making it public who they are and what they are looking for. Some people still feel shame wanting to read materials about people like themselves, and including them on the shelf would certainly help with the normalcy of it and make it so that they aren’t going to an obvious section of the library dedicated to LGBTQIA+ stuff for being shamed by people they know. It also gives the opportunity to those who are curious who wouldn’t go out of their way to the shelves to see something and read it. Finally, we can create a safe space of inclusion for everyone with the opportunity to explore by having them all together on the shelves. We can create conversations to understand one another and learn about each other by being exposed to new books and conversing with each other. Having an open community with these books helps people learn and understand each other. Having an open and welcoming space where everyone is included on the main shelf shows that everyone is treated equally here and that everyone deserves respect. No one deserves to be treated poorly or considered better or less than anyone else. Overall, I would love to have displays that show off these books, maybe have queer books mixed in with straight books on any display to show that there are many different kinds of relationships and such that exist and that everyone deserves the opportunity for love and respect no matter who they are.
Hi Taryn, I completely agree with you! Keeping the collection together ensures that patrons will be able to discover new books and authors. I noted safety as a concern of mine when separating LGBTQ fiction just because of the area I am in and the threats we've seen in the last few weeks. It would keep our patrons safe from others.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that is one of the most important things, to protect others. By including the books in the collection, you would have to at least read the description to know what is in the book and can't call out people for the books that they are grabbing.
DeleteLove this response, Taryn. It looks like we made some similar points in our posts, but I especially love your idea about having displays that mix queer books and straight books. I often see displays of LGBTQ literature at libraries and bookstores, and I think it's awesome to see these books promoted, but I also think it creates a sense of "otherness" from other books, and it would be nice to see more displays that group queer and straight books together, reminding patrons that the two types of books are equally valuable.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way. I like the idea of browsing and discovering the books. I also agree that maybe someone might feel uncomfortable being seen in a section they aren't ready to be seen in. I like the displays idea and we use many of those in my library as we featured LGBTQIA+ topics for a year so that's a lot of display time.
ReplyDeleteVery well stated! Great response and discussion in the comments!
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