The situation of GBLTQ materials at libraries is becoming a hot topic for patrons and librarians. On one hand there are the supporters of this genre, and on the other, the opposition. But whatever opinion each individual has, the fact remains that libraries are unbiased establishments that offer all types of genres to readers without censorship nor discrimination.
But apart from the debate of the acquisition of GBLTQ materials, there is the issue of classifying the materials or displaying them. Some of the books have graphic covers, while others may not be as known so those who are searching for this genre would have a hard time finding the book they want because they would have to browse the whole fiction collection for example, so the question is, how would the GBLTQ materials be shelved? Similarly, topics that are equally as sensitive like African American lit or history can face the same display/shelving issues.
In my opinion, I'm with displaying GBLTQ separately for these reasons:
1- Classifying materials by topic is easier than by classifying them by last name/DDC/LC. Think of a bookshop set-up VS. Libraries. Bookshops are easy to browse, especially for those who do not have a book title in mind. Within the topic a librarian can use a classification system DDC/LC to sort the materials.
2- the GBLTQ topic is a hot one, for this reason a lot of patrons are interested in knowing more or celebrate their differences. I once had a patron who has just came out of the closet, and he wanted EVERYTHING GBLTQ. The fiction books in that library were classified by author's last name, so if anything doesn't come up through a subject heading search, it would be lost in the fiction collection.
3- Putting GBLTQ materials in a class of their own proves that the library displaying these materials lives by the ALA principals that are against censorship and discrimination.
Overall, GBLTQ remains a sensitive issue when tied with religious beliefs and expectations of gender roles, therefore in order to integrate the GBLTQ community it has to be understood and accepted through the spread of literacy regarding this topic.
But apart from the debate of the acquisition of GBLTQ materials, there is the issue of classifying the materials or displaying them. Some of the books have graphic covers, while others may not be as known so those who are searching for this genre would have a hard time finding the book they want because they would have to browse the whole fiction collection for example, so the question is, how would the GBLTQ materials be shelved? Similarly, topics that are equally as sensitive like African American lit or history can face the same display/shelving issues.
In my opinion, I'm with displaying GBLTQ separately for these reasons:
1- Classifying materials by topic is easier than by classifying them by last name/DDC/LC. Think of a bookshop set-up VS. Libraries. Bookshops are easy to browse, especially for those who do not have a book title in mind. Within the topic a librarian can use a classification system DDC/LC to sort the materials.
2- the GBLTQ topic is a hot one, for this reason a lot of patrons are interested in knowing more or celebrate their differences. I once had a patron who has just came out of the closet, and he wanted EVERYTHING GBLTQ. The fiction books in that library were classified by author's last name, so if anything doesn't come up through a subject heading search, it would be lost in the fiction collection.
3- Putting GBLTQ materials in a class of their own proves that the library displaying these materials lives by the ALA principals that are against censorship and discrimination.
Overall, GBLTQ remains a sensitive issue when tied with religious beliefs and expectations of gender roles, therefore in order to integrate the GBLTQ community it has to be understood and accepted through the spread of literacy regarding this topic.
I hadn't at all thought about displaying GBLTQ materials as being representative of ALA's principles. That's a very powerful statement to show that the library is a place that is welcoming for all. Thanks for that perspective!
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