Week 13 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!

Personally, YA is one of my favorite areas of the library to frequent, so I was really excited about this prompt! The idea that adults shouldn’t read specifically young adult or graphic novels honestly hurts me, not just because I am one of those adults, but because there is so much good that can come from reading in those genres. At my library, we have a display in the adult section that changes each month, and my coworker who is in charge of it has made graphic novels the focus before, which has definitely served the adults who like to read those kinds of books. However, when it comes to young adult and “teen” books, they tend to be separate from the adult collection in another part of the library. Regardless of the genres that my library does or does not display, I really do believe that displays can be a powerful tool to get books into the hands of patrons who are interested. If we place displays out for patrons, they can find books that pique their interest and encourage them to look elsewhere in the library for more of the same materials. Additionally, I’ve always liked the idea of curated lists, and those curated lists could be provided on a library website for easy patron access, as well as placed with other brochures and flyers by our patron holds. 

In regards to if we “should” serve adults who enjoy YA books or graphic novels, I think the answer to this question is an overwhelming and resounding yes! One of my favorite things about libraries is that they really do provide a wide variety of materials for people and then let them pick what they want to read and spend their time consuming. Speaking from the point of view of someone who loves reading YA and graphic novels, I know I would be really discouraged and upset if my library chose to make me feel as though my reading interests were not valid or welcome. To put it bluntly, I feel like libraries were partially created for this purpose because if we aren’t here to serve whole communities to meet their needs (ALL their needs), then why are we here? I love getting to serve all of the diverse needs in my public library, and I think it's quite the privilege to do so.