Prompt response - Shelving fiction genres

Should all fiction books be shelved together or should libraries group books according to genres?  I personally can see both sides of the issue and notice the pros and cons.  However, for this post I’ll take the side of keeping all the fiction in one group without separating certain genres.  Here are some pros that I have found while doing reading on this issue.

1.       If you have books separated into genres, combining all fiction books together saves shelf space if you need more room. (Lyttle & Walsh, 2015)

2.       Some authors believe that having African American Fiction shelved as a group of its own is a form of rasism. (Jenisin, 2010)

3.       Benefit of general fiction section without dividing into genres is the ability to browse all available books by a single author in one place even if they write across genres. (Hana, 2015)

4.       Readers maybe attracted to another title (genre) which they would not normally seek out. (Montana State Library, 2018)

5.       It can be difficult to determine what genre a book is from. (Montana State Library, 2018)

I agree with all of the above statements.  I personally like having all of the books in one general group divided by authors last names.  I do think that it might be better if there were labels on the books to tell what genre the books are.  I know that this may be just as difficult as separating out the different genres due to some books ability to be more than one genre. 

References:

Hana (2018). The great debate: When it comes to fiction, would you rather…  Retrieved from https://denverlibrary.org/blog/hana/great-debate-when-it-comes-fiction-would-you-rather

Jenisin, N.K. (2010). Don’t put my book in the African American section. Retrieved from http://nkjemisin.com/2010/05/dont-put-my-book-in-the-african-american-section/

Lyttle, M.A. & Walsh, S.D. (2015). Separate or keep together? Public Libraries Online. Retrieved from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/05/separate-or-keep-together/

Montana State Library (2018). Organizing your collection.  Retrieved from http://libraries.msl.mt.gov/consulting/online_publications/newlibrarydirectorshandbook/technicalservices/organizing   

Prompt Response - YA and NA books

PROMPT: Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we? I can't wait to read your thoughts on this. Thanks!

RESPONSE: I would say that Young Adult (YA) and New Adult (NA) books are just as interesting as other genres.  I believe that adults should read YA and NA books.  I don’t think that the ones that don’t like these genres keep other people from reading them.  Like it’s been said, “A book for every reader, every read a book.”  It is our job as librarians to encourage people to read whatever they want and not limit the age group to some books because someone doesn’t want you to read it.  Maybe we could have some passive programming going on that promotes these genres.  If not programs, maybe displays of these genres.  I personally enjoy reading these books and I know of other adults who do also. 

Book Annotation - Young Adult

    Fallen by Lauren Kate

Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Publication Date: 2010

Number of pages: 480 pages

Geographical setting: Savannah, Georgia

Series: Fallen Book Series

Plot Summary:

17-year-old Luce is sent to a reformatory school in Georgia after being in a fire where only her hair was singed, but her boyfriend died.  While at Sword & Cross, she falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy named Daniel.  Daniel does everything he can to deep Luce away, however, all his efforts keep drawing her closer.  Cam is the boy who loves Luce and wants her for his own.  Daniel and Cam are more than mere boys, they are also fallen angles, as are most of the students at Sword & Cross unbeknown to Luce and her friend, Penn, the only other human there.

Subject Headings:  Social & Family issues, Romance, Paranormal. Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Appeal: evolving, compelling, foreboding

Pace: As in reading a fantasy book, Fallen, starts out slow but increases the action increases.

Setting: The setting is a reformatory high school where things are not always what they seem.

Story Line: The story line features good versus evil.

Characters: Most of the characters are teenage high school students.

Tone/Mood: The mood is foreboding for much of the books.

3 Read-Alike Books

1.       Evernight by Claudia Gray

2.       Fade by Lisa McMann

3.       The Haunting by Jessica Verday

Prompt - Non-Fiction

        Hearts of Fire by the Voice of the Martyrs

1.       Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

High. The book is written in story form.

2.       What is the subject of the book?

8 women who were persecuted for their faith in Christ Jesus.

3.       What type of book is it?

Biography

4.       Articulate Appeal

a.       What is the pacing?

Fast pace, fast page-turner

b.       Describe the characters.

All 8 Christian women are from non-Christian countries in Europe or Asia. All of them are willing to lose all they have to keep their faith in God.

c.       How does the story feel?

The stories go from feeling oppressive to feeling hopeful.

d.       What is the intent of the author?

To show that God is with those who believe in him eve in their darkest moments.

e.       What is the focus of the story?

It tells the story of 8 women who lost most everything because they were Christians.  It tells how they kept their faith through difficult trials and how God was always with them.

f.         Does the language matter?

Yes, the language matters.  Written in a different style would change the whole focus and mood of the stories.

g.       Is the setting important and well described?

Yes, the setting is important. Each story takes place in a non-Christian country (Indonesia, Bhutan, Russia, Romania, Pakistan, China, Indian, Vietnam).  If the setting changed to a Christian country, these stories would not have happened.

h.       Are there details, and, if so, of what?

Yes, there are details of how each woman became a Christian, what persecution they went through, and how God help them through this time of trials, and s little bit of how they are living now (if they are still living).

i.         Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?

There are no charts or other graphic materials.

j.         Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experiences?

This book is all about experiences that the women had and about their learning to lean on and trusting God more.

5.       Why would a reader enjoy this book?

1.       Characters

2.       Experiences

3.       Settings

Ebooks & Audiobooks

There is nothing better than holding a book in your hands read to begin reading.  The ability to flip through the pages, or the smell of it can bring back memories of other books or the joy of just holding a book.   Some people would agree with me that this feeling can not be replaced with the ebooks and/or audiobooks.  I have read ebooks and probably will in the future.  They are okay to read when I don’t have a book around to read.  I find it hard to not be able to flip through the book and see how many pages I have left to read in a chapter or in a book.  I do like the idea that I can read the book in the dark and not bother others with turning on a light to read.  I also like to be able to change the font size.

Audiobooks have me more excited than ebooks.  I’ve always enjoyed being read to.  I need a narrator who changes voices for the characters, someone who is not monotone, and someone who uses voice inflections where needed.  Some readers/audiences have favorite narrators, which is okay.  I tend listen to more genres than if I were to read the books themselves.  I think that if someone else is doing the reading I’ll enjoy the book more than if I were reading it.  I enjoy audiobooks anywhere at most times. 

Book Annotation - Western

   High Lonesome by: Louis L’Amour

Genre: Western

Publication Date: 1962

Number of pages: 183

Geographic Setting: Arizona territory

Time Period: Historic

Plot Summary: Considine is considered one of the best gunmen in the West.  He and a group of 3 men were headed toward Obaro to break into the bank and settle an old score.  On the way to Obaro, they run into a man and his daughter who are headed to California.  To get to California, you have to travel through Apache land.  Considine must decide to either go to Obaro to settle a long-held grudge or to go with the man to help keep him and his daughter safe.

Subject Headings: Apache Indians, Courage in men, Outlaws, Regret in men, Revenge, Thieves

Appeal: Descriptive, historical, realistic

Frame/Setting:

Landscape dominates Westerns.  Readers are taken back to a time and place in which life is set against a dangerous, but beautiful backdrop.

Characterization:

The classic hero is a loner, who rides throughout the land, never to settle down to start a family.

Story Line:

Common themes include redemptive power of the West, the difficulties surviving in a harsh landscape, revenge, and lack of law along with the necessity of creating just laws.

Pacing:

The creation of mythic elements in character, description, and plot may slow the pacing, while action certainly increases the speed at which we read the novels.

3 Read A Likes:
Cotton, R.W. (2011). Lawman from Nogales. Berkley
Champlin, T. (1985). Shadow Catcher. Ballatine Books.
McMurtry, L. (1993). Streets of Laredo. Simon & Schuster.

Book Club Observation

The Reading Circle meets at Kennedy Library in Muncie, Indiana, the second Tuesday of every month from 12 to 1 PM.  You can bring your lunch and something to drink.  I was told that there is someone there who always brings something to share and today someone had brought in chili and cookies to share with everyone.  They sit around tables that are in a square shape so that everyone is able to see each other.  There were 15 people in attendance.  

The book that they were taking about this month is Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.  To start off the conversation the leader, an adult service librarian, asked the question: How do you feel about the change in Turk from joining the White Supremist to in the end of the book getting out of the White Supremist?  From this time on, the leader only had to speak once or twice more during this time.  This group of people where talking about the book nonstop.  They would bring in personal experiences into some of the comments they were making.  There were several participants who came with note they had from the book or questions they wanted to ask the rest of the group.  Everyone participated.   The one item they wished for this club meeting was they wish that there would have been a variety of races there to share about the book since one theme of the book is about race relations.  This meeting was ran smoothly even when the participants would disagree with each other, they all remained civil.  I think that this group could have ran itself even with out having a ‘leader’.  To end the meeting, the library handed out the book for the next reading circle meeting.

This book is not normally a book that I would choose to read for myself.  I had only read ¾ of the book before I had arrived at the meeting.  I felt like I could return the book to the library without finishing it and not caring about not have finished reading.  After leaving the meeting I felt like, great, now I need to finish the rest of the book, so I can see what’s going to happen.