One reason this prompt took so long is that I was having a hard time finding Street Lit at my library. I was vaguely aware of this genre but haven't read any of it. I have two requests for titles put in, if only so I can get a better understanding of the appeals even though I have read the assigned readings.
I have read one NA title and have two DNF (did not finish) NA titles I have checked out from my work. I can somewhat understand it's appeals. However, a plot trope or setting that I find unappealing may be reading crack for someone else, and it's best if I just read them for myself to better understand what's making these books all the rage to better help patrons rather than judging them. My library doesn't have many NA titles that I have seen, yet. I also wonder if the catalogers will end up cataloging them in general fiction, and hope they don't stick them in YA. The one title I DNF'd was all about the character getting sexual experience and whatnot and don't think that would be appropriate for the YA section. Considering I wrote a positive review about book where a human has sex with a lizard, it's not the sex part I have an issue with, I just thought it was written badly. I don't think all of NA may be appropriate for my (or anyone else's) 14 year old to read.
It has only been within the last year or so that I have read any graphic novels. My initial reasoning not to read them was because I like to imagine things in my head - I don't want someone else's version of what I envision a character or setting to look like. Then I read a rave review of the Saga series, bought the first one, and loved it. I also realized that I am a dork, because I DO like some visual versions of things. Maybe not more than the original, but I do like the movie versions of The Hobbit, LOTR, the Marvel movies, Pride and Prejudice, etc...So if a patron can actually read one, or of anything in a genre that they have not read, they may find it enlightening. My system does order quite a bit of GN's, for juvenile, YA and adults.
As far as libraries not spending money on these genres, it doesn't make
sense to me. A library
shouldn't scoff at purchasing at least a few popular, or award winning, titles in these genres but buy 25 copies of a Patterson title. It is keeping the collection too narrow, and risks turning off some patrons from using the library (I am using my library as an example as to size and what they purchase). One problem that may occur is that if a patron does not ask, or know how to
request a title that we may not have for purchase, the library may be unaware of
patron interest. Since I do not order books, I have no control over
what titles are brought in. I may have some control if I know that some
patrons are looking for a particular author/title/genre and can send in
requests on their behalf.
The selectors in Indy PL are mostly centralized, the branches can order a few things as unprocessed items. For my branch this is Harlequins and teen paperback books on the adult side; for the kids' side this is paperback books in a variety of shapes and board books for toddlers. Beyond that, the books are purchased centrally. So, curiously, there would be a chance that of all the different sorts of books there are, teen paperbacks are the ones I might get to order as a newly minted librarian for Indy PL.
ReplyDeleteGood for you! That would be so fun. I hope it comes to pass.
ReplyDeleteAt this time our library has made the decision to shelve new adult books in with general fiction. They may revisit the decision in the future.
ReplyDeleteI am assuming that's where any NA titles we get will go but we have "caught" a lot of YA in the adult fiction, and a few adult in YA, so hoping that there won't be any errors made.
DeleteI so agree with you! A library should have graphic novels and cut out purchasing 25 copies of James Patterson. This is a subject we talk about a lot in my department at the library which is Circulation. While we are checking in all of these copies we are complaining that we could be purchasing something else. More graphic novels, YA novels, street lit, Christian Fiction, whatever, just not 30 copies of one title. The library where I work has a growing collection of graphic novels. In the six years that I have worked there we have moved the collection to a larger area three times. To me, that is a good sign. I have some patrons say that we need a larger selection and I think that the selectors are continually working on it. Also, our street lit has grown as well. We don't have a huge selection but at least we have some of this subgenre.
ReplyDeleteThe first library I worked for (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library in North Carolina) has had to keep moving its graphic novels too. When I started, around 2006, they had maybe a couple hundred graphic novels between all the branches, and that included all of the Garfield books and the manga etc etc. And, weirdly (at least to me) was the fact that they were all non-fiction. 741.5. Which is where I found them in IPL as well.
ReplyDeleteBut then, we also had a major problem with the YA books because half of them would be put into the adult collections (fiction, scifi, mystery, etc) and the other half would end up over at the Children's library. Sometimes books from the same series would be split. Occasionally even the same book would be mis-catalogued so some of the Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince would be in the computer and on the self as adult and some as Children's. It's taken quite a while for either of those genres to get their own areas, so it will likely be even longer before NA gets set apart.