LGBTQ and Urban Fiction: To Separate or Not To Separate? - Week Fourteen Prompt

Three reasons to not separate LGBTQ and Urban Fiction books are that if separation is done patrons’ privacy will be partially lost, patrons may be discouraged from accessing information, and division between patrons could occur. These reasons stem from well-known library documents: The Library Bill of Rights, the Code of Ethics, and the Freedom to Read Statement. 

The seventh point of the Library Bill of Rights states, “All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information.” If LGBTQ and Urban Fiction have their own sections, a bit of privacy is lost because people would be able to see someone specifically going to one of those sections. Patrons who are judgmental of others are unlikely to resist showing their judgment in their body or verbal language. 

Leading off of that point, patrons seeking such material may be discouraged from searching for it because of potential judgment. Yet, the Code of Ethics states that libraries should provide usefully organized resources and equitable access. The first point is specifically written as “We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.” The most important words here are “usefully organized resources.” On one hand, separating LGBTQ and Urban Fiction books could help users who specifically want those titles. Yet, on the other hand, separating these titles could discourage users from entering the section. Librarians cannot allow some patrons to search and access materials in peace while another group feels like they may be judged for their selections and thus avoid the information all together. 

This potential judgment is blatantly mentioned in the Freedom to Read Statement. The fifth point reads, “It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.” Labels can cause division. The more labeling there is, the more division. It is one thing to display these kinds of books for temporary labeling, but to be permanently separated can cause great division. As was discussed last week about Young Adult, New Adult, and Graphic Novels, the labels on these books can discourage adults from checking them out because there is a stigma surrounding them. This kind of judgment is tenfold regarding LGBTQ books. Even Urban Fiction will have stigma of being all about drugs and sex. Yet, while this may be present, Urban Fiction may be the only way a patron will be able to understand the specific difficulties of someone different from themselves. 

It is up to libraries to provide equal discovery and access of information. Separating only one or two types of books from the general collection encourages segregation, division, and judgement while also infringing patrons’ privacy. Collections that are organized by authors’ last name allow patrons to have more anonymity with their material selections. It makes sure only the library staff really sees what the patron is accessing, and then it is the responsibility of the staff to keep that information private. The overall end point is that the separation of LGBTQ and Urban fiction will only cause more harm to patrons’ freedom to access information.