I decided to
err on the side of pulling out these two groups of books into separate sections
at my local library. Here are my three
reasons:
- Ranganathan’s fourth law says to “save the time of the reader” (as cited by Bhatt, 2011), and pulling titles into genre sections is a tried and true “system of organization” that does just this in many cases (Bhatt, 2011).
- I do feel it’s important that libraries communicate the wide variety of materials that they make available to all of their customers and I see the benefits of shelving all fiction by author last name so that browsers are able to make discoveries, but there are ways of accomplishing this other than consolidating our fiction collections into such an overwhelming monolith that browsers are actually discouraged from browsing. Two tactics that might be used are displays and collection juxtaposition.
- My final reason is that pulling out genres doesn’t leave those with concerns about browsing privacy, etc. completely without options. My library has a holds system, digital books, and Wifi/Public Computers that can all help customers meet their information needs in a less public way. “Finding aids” like bibliographies and indexes can also be made available to customers to help them find items in a more private manner (Thomas, 2007).
Also, I
would say that any organizational system a library decides upon can be adjusted
or even completely rethought at any point.
In fact, libraries should be actively revisiting these issues regularly
because there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Works Cited:
Bhatt,
R. K. (2011). Relevance of Ranganathan's Laws of Library Science in Library
Marketing. Library Philosophy & Practice, 23-29.
Honig,
Megan. (2011). Introduction. In Urban Grit: A guide to street lit. Santa
Barbara: Libraries Unlimited.
Thomas, D. (2007). A place on the shelf.
Library Journal, (8). 40.
I enjoyed your thoughts and arguments for pulling and separating genres. It is important to ponder, if our patrons enjoy nonfiction separation by the Dewey Decimal System, then why would they not enjoy it being applied in the fiction? I like how you cover privacy concerns and the ways around that where a patron can use the computer or other printed brochures to find what they are looking for without having to publicly ask for those topics.
ReplyDeleteCraig, hi! Normally I avoid reading everyone's posts until I've written my own because I don't want to be influenced upfront by others. I'm more than willing to be swayed after the fact by a better argument, but I like getting my own thoughts down FIRST so I know where I stand.
ReplyDeleteAnd honestly, that's the problem. I don't know where I stand! So, I broke my own rule and am looking at the posts of my peers.
I knew that you would have a thoughtful response and I was very interested to see that for you this was no mere academic enterprise: you've actually done this in your library! You clearly stated and supported your 3 reasons. Ranganathan's fourth law is a good choice, for sure, and I liked that you anticipated the argument against your choice over privacy concerns. (Methinks you were faced with that argument before!)
Sigh. I still don't know where I stand (and the clock is ticking), but thank you for giving me some more to think about!
Hi Craig. It seems that you are in the minority in your decision to give these items their own sections, and I do think that your rationale makes sense, but I am curious if your library has a large population of African Americans or a prevalent LGBTQ community. If so - then I could see sectioning these areas out - you are actually HELPING your community find things they are interested in rather than sectioning these items out so those who may be offended in the community know where NOT to look. This is where Ranganathan's fourth law is most applicable. I appreciate your perspective, which is different from mine, but I think we may be working in different communities and that does change things.
ReplyDeleteHi Craig! I appreciate that you gave a detailed response for your position, but I have to ask you do you really think it's good idea to segregate books? I read a blog by an African American author who besides making the point that in doing so it's making negative assumptions about both black and white readers, it also hurts her ability to reach a wider audience. I do think it's convenient to separate these books, but in the long run I can't help thinking that it is essentially categorizing the books as different, not mainstream, and not for the general population. And, when these books don't get read by more than one group of readers it, ultimately, hurts society because reading is a way we understand people who are different than us.
ReplyDeleteWell thought out and argued prompt response, you are 100% correct, there is no one size fits all remedy and you gig a good job analytically breaking down the benefits. Full points. Also, you inspired some great comments and feedback!
ReplyDelete