The Culture and Future of Reading

Twenty Years Ago

April 28, 2001 – I just turned 7. One of my main griefs with life is that every first-grader gets a sticker on their chart when they lose a tooth, but none of mine have fallen out yet. (I would lose a few that summer, but most of them would wait until second grade.) I love reading almost as I love dolphins, which is a lot. I like to read during recess, but I usually have to do it outside until the bell rings. That's why I take a book with me to lunch. Some grown-ups say reading makes you smart, but I just do it for fun.

For some reason, my parents always dragged me along to Parent-Teacher Conferences, where my teachers would give glowing reviews of my academic performance. Several teachers recognized early on how "gifted" I was, particularly in mathematics and language arts. When my teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied that I would like to be an author and a chef, stirring my soup as I write my next book. Despite the fact that I would ultimately pursue neither of these options, the love of reading was clearly instilled in me from a young age.

Looking at the personal reading habits of my childhood, I was a voracious, insatiable reader. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I read high above my grade level, skipping most early chapter books like Junie B. Jones altogether in favor of middle-grade/YA chapter books like Hatchet by Brian Paulsen and Harry Potter while still in elementary school.

I read everything from mysteries to action to sci-fi to fantasy to sports to westerns. (I remember reading Louis L'Amour in fourth or fifth grade. Not sure if it was appropriate content, but what's done is done.) I would read for hours after finishing my homework, sprawled out on the couch while my parents fixed dinner. I would also frequently read late into the night after my parents definitely thought I had gone to bed. Man, did I fool them. What a bad boy I was.

But life gets more complicated for everyone as they enter middle school, high school, higher education, and the workforce. There seems to be less time for reading, or rather, more things competing for our scarce leisure time. This led me to be more selective with what I read, and in certain seasons of my life, there was little to no reading whatsoever. 

As a child, I never tired from reading. As an adult, I find myself needing to vary what I read. While I have my favorites, I need to read diversely to avoid burnout. I can't read 20 thrillers in a row (not with this anxiety of mine.) Nor can I read 20 Westerns in a row. (I would literally burst into tears and/or flames.) This never seemed to be a problem as a child (see: me, age 9, reading the first 25 Animorphs books back-to-back-to-back-to...)

Twenty Years from Now

April 28, 2041 – A week after my 47th birthday, I revel in the luxury of a quiet Sunday. After church, my partner and I go off to visit my brother and his family for low-key festivities with close family. As much as we enjoy being with our loved ones, we don't stay too late: I've got to get to my job at the library in the morning, and I'm hoping to make some headway into the latest fantasy novel I checked out last week before turning in for the night. Opening the hardcover and smelling the fresh paper, I'm ready to begin this masterpiece of elemental magics that I've heard so much about....

Some are concerned for the longevity of the printed book, calling it a relic of a bygone era soon to be replaced with digital advances. However, I don't think that's something we need to worry about. Printed books have been around for quite some time, and they've been widespread since the Printing Revolution of the early 15th Century.

Of all the amazing things books are – an escape, a mirror, kindling for new thoughts, positively magical – one thing they aren't is fleeting. Books are here to stay, and there will always be those who prefer physical books to digital formats.

Some may argue that physical books will become a niche rarity, as we have seen with the formats of the vinyl record, the 8-track tape, the cassette tape, and the CD in the field of music. However, it is worth noting that each of these formats requires specialized equipment to be enjoyed, and this equipment can be worn down or broken, with increasing difficulty involved with finding replacements or repair services. This contrasts sharply with the printed book, which only requires "light, a human eye, and a human mind" (Le Guin, 2008, p. 37). And there's just something about holding a physical book that can't be replaced by a digital format, at least not in the next 20 years.

No one knows what the future holds, and who say if society will be reading more or less in 20 years. As literature forms an important piece of my livelihood, I will doubtless continue reading until my eyes or my mind no longer allow me to do so. While not everyone reads now and not everyone will read in the future, it's safe to say that books will always find a refuge and be welcome in my home.

Reference

Le Guin, U.K. (2008). Staying awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading. Harper's Magazine, 316(1893), 33-37.

Marketing Fiction

The word "marketing" can carry with it several professional business connotations, as shown in this word cloud. While marketing certainly is crucial in a public library's operation, it can be counterproductive to throw these terms at patrons, as this can be antithetical to the warm, welcoming atmosphere that is sought in a public library.

Tom Fishburne, the founder and CEO of Marketoonist, once said, "The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing" (Swincoe, 2017). In light of this idea, below are three ways in which a public library could market their adult fiction collection without cramming the marketing aspect down the patrons' throats.

Book Displays

An example of a permanent library display.

Selecting a small group of books with a descriptive sign can be a very effective marketing tool for public libraries. Of course, librarians should frequently monitor these displays and replace items that have been removed by patrons for checkout. These displays should "capitalize on the elements of books that appeal to readers" (Saricks, 2005, p. 142), such as pacing, mood, or subject matter. Saricks (2005) also promotes the idea of a permanent display for "Good Books You May Have Missed"; this display provides patrons with "a small group of suggested titles from which to choose" (p. 140) from a variety of genres and vetted by a variety of readers' advisory staff. Having the display populated by various staff members will ensure that personal reading preference or bias does not heavily sway the titles that are chosen for display.

Annotated Book Lists

A locally-produced book list that lists titles (that the library owns!) and a brief comment or annotation can be printed as a trifold brochure. Book lists should be curated to address areas of patron interest, such as Romantic Suspense or Sports Fiction. The process of creating a bookmark can also promote professional development, as it "exposes a novice bibliographer to the process of choosing a theme and selecting books related to patrons' interests and to the rigors of proofreading" (Saricks, 2005, p. 145).

Saricks (2005) remarks on the effectiveness of staff-made book lists: "We all know that many patrons like to browse for their leisure reading on their own, and they are pleased to find a selection of book lists on a wide range to topics; they can choose one or more and simply take them into the stacks with them as a guide to reading suggestions" (p. 143). In addition to being displayed in checkout or service areas, these can also be featured on appropriate book displays.

Book Discussion Groups

Excluding times of pandemic, the public library should be a gathering place for the community to come together. Book discussion groups are a great way to promote this aspect of a library's purpose and simultaneously advertise the adult fiction collection. Saricks (2005) remarks on the ever increasing availability of resources for book discussion groups: "[S]ometimes discussion questions are even offered by publishers in the book themselves" (p. 157).

Regardless of whether or not a library offers staff-led book discussions, it should always "offer assistance to [book discussion group] leaders in finding information on organizing and running a group and locating materials, including suggesting titles that make good discussions, biographical information about the author, reviews and other printed material about the book, and published questions if available" (Saricks, 2005, p. 157). 

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These are just a few ways in which public libraries can help advertise their adult fiction collections. If patrons don't know what resources are available to them, they're much less likely to use the resources. They all rely on the expertise and skill of readers' advisory staff. However, as Saricks (2005) mentions, "it is important to remember that we are marketing and promoting a service as well as materials" (p. 157).  These ways to market the adult fiction collection also help the community view the library as a resource in meeting the leisure and informational needs of its patrons.

References

Saricks, J. (2005) Promoting and marketing readers’ advisory collections and services. Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. ALA. 136-160.

Swincoe, A. (Host). (2017, October 23). PunkCX [Audio podcast]. RARE Business. https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/blogpodcasts/TomFishburneMarketoonist250917.mp3

LGBTQ and Street Lit

Me with my partner at the Christus in Salt Lake City.

I'm a gay, religious person of color, but you might not know it looking at my face. My queerness and my faith-based beliefs are not physically manifest in my outward appearance (no matter how good you think your "gay-dar" is). Due to my mixed racial heritage, my ethnicity is also not immediately discernible in certain situations. In short, I can pass as a member of the majority in many circumstances. As a cis male, I often am a member of the majority in certain aspects.

With my tremendous amount of privilege, it is my responsibility to inform myself and advocate for minorities, which includes confronting racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and religious discrimination. As a librarian, the venue where I use my privilege is quite often the public library. A public library exists to serve the public, and the public is diverse. All members of a community deserve to be represented and valued in the library. 

LGBTQ literature should not be separated from the general collection, and neither should it be identified with spine labels. What message does a library send when it separates out certain groups of books into their own "special places"? In my experience, there are three main results that stem from such a policy: 1) the pigeonholing of these works and the restriction of their limits, 2) the ostracism of these items and their readers, and 3) a lack of anonymity for patrons who choose to consult these items.

1. Pigeonholing

Pigeonholing is "a process that attempts to classify disparate entities into a limited number of categories" (Pigeonholing in Wikipedia, 2021). When we label a book as "LGBT literature," we assign it to a category. The National Coalition Against Censorship (n.d.) highlights the downfalls of this categorization, stating, "Calling a book 'gay-themed' or even 'LGBTQ-themed' doesn’t tell you much about it. In fact, it creates an artificial category....  [Books] under the label 'LGBTQ-themed' are really just books about everyday life. While they may have gay characters or address homophobia, those themes are often not central to the plot." When we pigeonhole a work, we reduce it to only one of its many aspects, to the detriment of its literary richness.

Discussing her decision as to the location of LGBT literature in her school library, library media specialist Vanessa Perez (2019) asked for input from her patrons: "While students wanted the books to be visible, they didn’t want the books segregated in a separate section or stickered with a rainbow. LGBTQ is not a genre. There are not queer romances, there are romances with queer main characters. There are not lesbian mysteries, there are mystery books with lesbian detectives. Trans students are not the only students who can or should read books with trans heroes." Just as a person is more than their sexuality, we do works of literature a disservice when we limit them to the sexuality of their characters or creators.  

2. Ostracism

Have you ever felt different? I certainly have. I’m going out a limb here to say that I think most of us, if not all of us, have felt different at some point in our lives. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They say that variety is the spice of life, and I firmly believe that can be true. But sometimes being different is hard.

Imagine your difference from the norm resulted in insults and mean, unkind language. The society you live in teaches that your differences from everyone else are bad: shameful, unnatural, even disgusting. People will ask you to hide who you are so they don’t feel uncomfortable. Even if your family accepts you with your differences, there will almost certainly be relatives who don’t. You hear horrifying stories of people like you who have been physically attacked or even killed because of who they are.

How would you react? You might try to hide your differences, or wish them away. Your life could quite easily be filled with shame and fear. There are countless LGBT people who could tell our life stories. Many of us have learned pride and hope in the face of strife, and we have found a community that loves and accepts us. While our stories are certainly not all the same, most LGBT people share (at least in some degree) a legacy of shame in who we are, as a product of the society we live in.

Many of us have learned pride and hope. 

Speaking of her school library, Perez (2019) points out that "[d]eclaring a book with LGBTQ characters inappropriate for school is the same as declaring LGBTQ students and families inappropriate for school. It sends the message, 'You don’t belong here. We’ll remove this book and we’ll try to remove you, too.'" She goes on to discuss how educators and librarians can make a difference; "[T]hey can defend and protect students through acceptance: 'You belong here with us. We see you and your life matters.'"

Only marginally better than banning it outright, separating LGBT literature from other fiction works creates a sense of otherness and alienation. It also implies that LGBT people should be separated from other people and denies us our humanity. Regarding the separation of LGBT children's materials to a "special location" away from the general collection, former librarian Kelly Jensen (2016) argues that this "sends the message that queer people aren't people. They're an issue."  Jensen continues that this policy "tell[s] queer children and families, as well as those from families that aren’t, that they’re an issue that needs to be dealt with separately. That they’re not part of their own community." 

By the same token, integrating the fiction collection can help all members of our community feel welcome and accepted. Hearing those stories enrich us all -- whether we are LGBT or not -- on our journey to finding who we are and embracing the rich diversity of our world.

3. Lack of Anonymity

How would you feel if everyone knew what books you were reading? What if everyone could see that you checked out a book on how to file for divorce, or how to leave an abusive relationship, or how to improve your sex life?

Certainly there are topics that should be allowed the dignity of privacy, and sexuality is certainly one of them. The right to privacy is a fundamental building block of public libraries, and isolating or labelling LGBT materials can cause a breach of privacy. Amanda Wilk, a branch manager at Kitchener Public Library, notes that "identifying books with LGBTQ+ labels may prevent library users from accessing them for fear of being outed" (Open Shelf, 2018). 

The toolkit "Open to All" by the American Library Association Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (n.d.) states, "In any community, there are GLBT persons who are not ready to be recognized as such.... People who are 'in the closet' or questioning often need information resources the most, so it is essential to provide safe and anonymous access, without judgment" (p. 2). It continues, "Interfiling GLBT materials can be a positive move for libraries; when these materials are placed alongside other books and materials, GLBT users feel welcomed" (p. 6).

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These same principles apply to several other groups of books, such as works by or about individuals with disabilities, of particular races or ethnicities, belonging to religious or political groups, etc. That is to say, given the inappropriateness of creating a separate LGBT section, it would be equally inappropriate to separate out a "Disabled People" section, a "Asians" section, a "Muslims" section, or a "Republicans" section.

However, the issue becomes somewhat more complicated when it comes to street lit. Librarian Rollie Welch (2011) asserts that "distinctions between street lit and mainstream fiction are evident. Street lit is a subgenre of fiction, similar to romance and western novels" (p. 266). He also argues against the grouping of street lit in a section of "African American fiction" or "black fiction," calling up the hypothetical of separating out works by Danielle Steel and Louis L'Amour into a section based on the author's race.

A library may separate or label its fiction collection according to genre if its intent is to "facilitate access by making it easier for users to locate resources" (American Library Association, 2015). However, the American Library Association (2015) warns against "[p]rejudicial labels [that] are designed to restrict access, based on a value judgment that the content, language, or themes of the resource, or the background or views of the creator(s) of the resource, render it inappropriate or offensive for all or certain groups of users" (2015). A label or a separate shelving location may be appropriate based on genre, including street lit, but the utmost care should be taken to prevent this labeling from relying on a value judgment about the content of the work or the background of the creator.

References

American Library Association. (2015, July 13). "Labeling systems: An interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights". Retrieved April 13, 2021, from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretation/labeling-systems Document ID: 211cf21a-4164-b9e4-658b-35ef709f3e22

American Library Association Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. (n.d.). "Open to all: Serving the GLBT community in your library." Retrieved April 13, 2021, from http://www.ala.org/rt/sites/ala.org.rt/files/content/professionaltools/160309-glbtrt-open-to-all-toolkit-online.pdf

Jensen, K. (2018, October 13). "Queer phobia and the public library." Book Riot. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://bookriot.com/public-libraries-you-owe-your-queer-patrons-better/

National Coalition Against Censorship. (n.d.). "LGBTQ right to read resource guide." Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://ncac.org/resource/krrp-lgbtq-content-right-to-read-resource

Open Shelf. (2018, April 3). "Respecting anonymity through collection development." Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://open-shelf.ca/180403-respecting-anonymity-through-collection-development/

Perez, V. (2019, February 28). "Libraries can be LGBTQ-affirming spaces on school campuses." National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://ncte.org/blog/2019/02/libraries-can-be-lgbtq-affirming-spaces-on-school-campuses/

Pigeonholing. (2021, February 18). In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pigeonholing&oldid=1007536700

Welch, R. (2011). Everything street literature. Libraries Unlimited.

*Portions of this blogpost first appeared on Provo City Library blog.*

Young Adult and Graphic Novels

I have a big secret to share: my favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla.

I can definitely be happy with a big bowl of strawberry or mint chocolate chip or butter pecan ice cream. And I've had pleasant times with blackberry, butterscotch, and even banana ice creams. But if we're talking favorites, it's hard to beat vanilla. And that's pure, unadulterated vanilla, without chocolate syrup or chopped nuts or anything. Just that creamy and delicious, classic taste really hits the spot for me any time of year.

You wouldn't believe how contentious this preference has been.

Upon learning my secret, several people have told me, to my face, that vanilla ice cream is:

• Plain
• Default
• Boring
• Bland
• Nasty
• Needs more flavors to be worth consuming

Now you see why I keep it a secret. But guess what all that vanilla hate has done to change my preferences? Absolutely nothing. At the end of the day, I still like what I like.

Like our misunderstood friend vanilla ice cream, young adult (YA) literature and graphic novels often come under fire; for some, these groups of books don't qualify as "quality literature for adults," whatever that means. Below I present some tips for how librarians can ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels with the help of some parallels to frozen dairy treats: the library is the ice cream parlor, YA lit and graphic novels are the delicious vanilla ice cream, and you, dear librarian reader, are the terribly overqualified employee behind the counter in a brightly colored (albeit uncomfortable) uniform. Let's dig in.

Tip #1: Have YA literature and graphic novels in your collection.

This might seem obvious, but how can I possibly order a double scoop of vanilla ice cream when there simply isn't any vanilla ice cream in the building? Just as the parlor's choice to buy vanilla ice cream communicates to the haters know that it's still a dessert worth buying (like I said, Dad), the decision to incorporate these materials into a library's collection legitimizes these works as "real" books and worth checking out. There is power in how a library decides to allocate its budget, and in how it decides to utilize the funds in that budget. Libraries send the message that they value YA literature and graphic novels by adding them to the collection. 

Tip #2: Be familiar with these items.

Suppose you were one of these sad, anti-vanilla individuals as an ice cream server. How would you feel when an individual with great taste orders vanilla? Do you think your feelings might change if you tried a sample of the French Vanilla or Vanilla Bean ice creams that the parlor sells? You still might not like it, but you may be able to relate to vanilla aficionados a little bit more.

This is not to suggest that any librarian need read every book in their collection; such a lofty goal is unrealistic and unfeasible. (However, if I worked in an ice cream parlor, you better believe that I would try every single flavor. But I digress.) As we read broadly as librarians—dipping our toes into various genres, age groups, and formats—we are better able to understand the appeal of certain groups of books and make recommendations to our patrons. If you personally look down on a group of books, whether it be YA literature, graphic novels, or a specific genre like Romance or Hard Sci-Fi, try reading a work or two from the group. To take it a step further, discuss the works with a colleague who loves the literature in question and ask them what aspects draw them in. You may or may not discover a new favorite, but you'll surely discover empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes.

Tip #3: Include these materials in reader's advisory.

The bright-eyed child who is nearly overwhelmed with options may have a difficult time deciding which flavor to get after their Little League victory. Suppose this particularly indecisive youngster is entirely beset by the number of options behind the window. What do you think would happen if the clerk suggested Bubblegum Blast? What if they suggest Orange Mango Tango? What if they suggest Prune and Black Walnut? (Okay, that last one may be more popular among those with a more mature palate, but my point still stands.)

Library patrons are often at least somewhat impressionable to the recommendations that librarians make. What's more, the works we recommend are given an air of legitimacy by sheer virtue of the fact that we recommended them. "Surely," the patron thinks, "this professional would not offer me anything less than the literary crème de la crème." 

Please note that this concept also applies to passive readers' advisory interactions, such as displays and book lists. When we include YA literature and graphic novels in our readers' advisory interactions, we legitimize them as we encourage our patrons to expand their horizons and read the whole collection.

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These three tips can help librarians ensure that we can serve all of our patrons who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels, regardless of their age or any other status. And to everyone who doesn't like YA literature, graphic novels, or vanilla ice cream, I say: that's fine. Just don't rain on the parade of those who have tastes different from yours. Everyone should be free to read the books they like, and to eat the ice cream they like, and heck, even to do both at the same time.