Week 14: Diverse Reads

    If I were responsible for deciding whether or not Urban and LGBTQ Fiction into their own categories, I don't think I would separate them. I would instead find alternate ways to highlight these genres in ways that would involve a more organic form of discovery. While the inclusion of these titles for increasing the diversity of the collection is of the utmost importance, separating them from the rest of the collection undermines the importance of collection diversity. Sherbin and Rashid (2017) have quoted Vernā Myers as having said "Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” This quote summarizes my feelings best, as it states plainly that true inclusion is not being separated at all. 

    There are many ways to highlight diverse genres in a collection without separating them. Using techniques like genre stickers on the spines or incorporating more in displays would be a more organic way to highlight these authors that is not separating them from the rest of the collection. Studies have shown that diversity in the workforce doesn't help with inclusion, and more frequently results in a diversity backlash. (Sherbin and Rashid, 2017). Diversity backlash is defined as employee resentment that is usually identifiable with poor productivity, high turnover rates, and low morale. (Frase-Blunt, 2003) If this is the risk that companies face with executing a diversity plan, what would prevent these issues arising within the community using the library? 

    If a library were to separate its collection based on two genres, the argument could be presented that all genres should be separated in this way. If the collection is organized in a bookstore model, that wouldn't create an issue; but for libraries that follow the Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress systems, this would mean a major revamp of the collection and shelving locations of fiction novels. While this may be possible with the shelving already in place at the library, some may have to find the funds for purchasing new shelving units. If that were the case, where would the funding come from? In the library I currently work at, it would come directly from the funds for purchasing new items for the collection. I would much rather see that money spent on diversifying the collection over separating the genres.

    In the library setting, I feel that it is more important to focus on bringing information to the community than having a specific genre on display. Many of the articles assigned this week involve the lack of diversity in collections, from children's picture books all the way up to adult fiction. With the lack of representation in literature for those who don't fall into the cis-, white category, a focus should go into expanding the collection to include more of the those titles. This can be accomplished in many ways, but the best place to start is to perform a diversity audit. An audit will give the library the statistics on how much of the collection includes diverse main characters and where to improve the collection. 

    To summarize, separation of the Urban and LGBTQ Fiction collections from the rest of the fiction wouldn't make sense in the library setting. It could lead to issues including possible feelings of segregation, increased costs, and a lack of new diverse titles joining the collection. 

References

Sherbin, L., and Rashid, R. (2017, February 1). Diversity doesn't stick without inclusion. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/02/diversity-doesnt-stick-without-inclusion?referral=00563&cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-daily_alert-_-alert_date&utm_source=newsletter_daily_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert_date&spMailingID=16466199&spUserID=MTk2NDkwMjE1NwS2&spJobID=960100237&spReportId=OTYwMTAwMjM3S0

Frase-Blunt, M. (2003, June 1).  Thwarting the diversity backlash. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/thwarting-diversity-backlash