Literal Volume

Week 16 Prompt

Both of our readings this week talk about the culture of reading and the future of the book. So I have two questions for you as readers, pulling on your own experiences and all of the readings we have done over the semester: First, how have reading and books changed since you were a child, for you specifically? Second, talk a little about what you see in the future for reading, books, or publishing - say 20 years from now. Will we read more or less, will our reading become more interactive? What will happen to traditional publishing? This is  a very free-form question, feel free to wildly extrapolate or calmly state facts, as suits your mood!

Thinking back from my childhood to now, lots of things in the reading world has changed. As a kid, I still went to the book store with my mom once a month so we could go get out next book. Now, I feel book stores are becoming more and more scarce. There are still a few in my local area, but there is also a few that are no longer there. Books were on paper and you had to physically go get them from a store or library. Now, they come in many forms such as e-book, audiobook, etc. and they can come straight to your door. I don’t remember books being on tape when I was a kid, doesn’t mean they didn’t exist then because I know they did, but I don’t remember them.  I feel they were not as widely advertised as they are now. Now, I use some of those new formats that I didn’t use as a child. I listen to audiobooks in the car and e-books are great for travel (even though that is the only time I use them). As far as the future goes, its hard to say. Predicting the future is like predicting the weather, sometimes your right, and other times there is a blizzard outside when you said it would be warm and sunny. With that being said, I think the formats of books will stay the same. At this time, I don’t see them advancing more than they already have, however, as far as publishing goes, who knows. Now that people can publish privately, or even over the internet without a formal publisher, there’s going to be more books than ever. Which, honestly, I think it will push for a wider and stronger readers advisory services since there will be such an increase of literal volume (pun intended).

Face the Community

Week 15 Prompt

What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library's fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays - anything that you see as getting the word out.

Book Displays

                Book displays are something that can grab people’s attention as soon as they walk in the door. Personally speaking, I always make sure to give them a look, even if I am not looking for anything in the genre or subject. You never know what you are going to find there. Book displays really market to the frequent library patrons since the display can only be seen in the library. These displays could easily market different genres or any fiction story that fits the display theme. I like when the displays change because it is something new and exciting most of the time. Other times its relevant to something, news, pop culture, etc., but still easy to find something relatable.  

Social Media

                Social media is a growing way that people market their library. Facebook reaches a lot more people than a typical book display would.  Facebook not only allows you to reach those non-frequent patrons, but it’s a platform to post new and exciting material daily. One could even get patrons to interact or engage in conversations about books, displays, or any other posted material. Facebook is also good for customer feedback about the library and its services.

Community Gatherings

                Many communities have some sort of gathering throughout the year. Whether it be the county fair, trunk or treating for Halloween, or a food festival, a city/town usually has some activities that involve the community in some way. Since the library is community based, it would be beneficial for the library to participate in these activities in some way. For example, for the trunk or treating idea, the library could participate and give out bookmarks to kids along with the candy that gets passed out. It is a small gesture but it gets the library involved and out there, catering to those whom the library was for in the first place.

Spoons make people fat

Week 14 Prompt

Consider yourself part of the collection management committee of your local library, or a library at which you would like to work. You must decide whether or not to separate GBLTQ fiction and Urban Fiction from the general collection to its own special place. Some patrons have requested this, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea - saying it promotes segregation and disrupts serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the reader. Do you separate them? Do you separate one and not the other? Why or why not? You must provide at least 3 reasons for or against your decision. 

Answer: Do not separate either.

Reasons 1 (short version)

1.) Promotes segregation, if separated.

2.) Libraries must have materials for all type of people in the community, not “most” of the community.

3.) Allows people to see different views and promotes a more accepting society.

Reasons 2 (long version)

1.) I think this one is pretty obvious. By separating GBLTQ fiction and Urban Fiction, the library is promoting segregation and discrimination. If all other fictions were separated (fantasy, mystery, thriller, etc.) then it wouldn’t be as much of an issue (as difficult as that may be), but that’s typically not the case. Separating a specific type of fiction from ALL OTHER FORMS OF FICTION, shows that it’s “special” in some way, but not in the way they intend it to. People are separating something because they find it “offensive”. Offensive to who? I looked up some articles of people that agree with this type of separation, and they ALWAYS make sure to add “that they do not have anything against those people or their lifestyle”, yet their books can’t be on the same shelf as the rest…hmm…pretty sure someone is full of s***. If you are not offended by the content, why are you assuming others are? Why are you being offended for other people? If it doesn't apply to you, don't speak on behalf of someone whom it does apply to. Another “solution” to this “problem” is patrons asked if the books could be marked/labeled in some way, as to not be accidentally checked out by an unsuspecting patron. I will delve a little deeper into this in my third point, but bottom line is that is promoting segregation. How is this any different from the “separate but equal” mentality? Last time a checked, that didn’t work out so well. In this day and age, that is just not acceptable behavior. It never was, but now we are working towards a more accepting and encompassing society and if we do this, this is a step backwards, not forward.

2.) One of the arguments that I have seen is that the community feels like it should have a say in what the library does or does not add to the collection. That is true to some extent, because that is the library’s job to cater to the community; however, some libraries have gotten to the point where the community feels they have the right to “approve” new addition first. Last time I checked, the library was not your personal book collection. It is the librarian’s job to do or purchase what they think is necessary or useful to a library ON BEHALF of the community. The community should have a say in what the library pursues. I am not arguing against that point, but at the same time, do they get to vote on what makes it in or not in to the library? No. That’s not what a library is. That’s not what a library does. There would be so many books that would not make it into a collection just because “I don’t like fantasy books, we shouldn’t add that.”, or “We have too many books from that author, we shouldn’t add the next book in the series.” Obviously, I am making these up, but can you see how ridiculous that logic is? People complain all the time about things they find inappropriate. I once overheard a patron complaining that a horror movie had too much violence in it and it should be taken off the shelves. It’s a HORROR movie. Were you expecting cupcakes and rainbows? If a person wants to have a say what gets into a library, they should either work in the library or be on the board. Dismissing something just because it is not what you believe in, or what the majority of people believe in, doesn’t make it wrong. The goal of ANY library should be to cater to all people UNBIASEDLY, no matter sex, race, gender, occupation, social status, etc. By leaving out the minority of any kind, you are already breaking that guideline, and that is not what a library is supposed to be.

3.) By having materials that are “out of the norm” allows people to have the opportunity to view something differently than how they see it. Every single person in this world is different. Even twins are different in some way. Therefore, libraries should have content to cater to all those different types of people. It promotes different views, and hopefully acceptance, even though that doesn’t always happen. The arguments that always get my blood boiling is that the books “should be labeled in some way so they exercise discretion for readers and families.” How often are people choosing a book they didn’t look into first? How many people go to the library and just pluck a book off the shelf and take it home with NO IDEA what the book is about? I think it’s safe to say that it’s few. If people, especially parents, are worried about their child being exposed to “lude” content, how is that the library’s fault? It is not the library’s job to screen every book and write all the possible things people could be offended by. There is not enough time in the world to do that, nor is it practical. If a parent is that worried about what a child is reading, why are they not screening the book for them? To blame the library for their child reading a book they find inappropriate and suggesting the book be separated or removed is like trying to say that spoons make people fat so let’s get rid of all the spoons in the kitchen. The “solution” does not fit the cause.

Adults are just overgrown children

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 think there is a simple answer to this, keep fighting. As librarians our mission is to reach and help as many people as we can, unbiasedly. The second that we start “banning” books (which I know some people/places/institutions do, but that’s another topic) or telling people what they shouldn’t read, the world becomes a darker place.  I can see why some would say that adults shouldn’t because they are typically made for “children”. Last I checked, it was fun to be a child and we all were at one point. Why can’t adults read graphic novels and young adult books? What do people think will happen? Adults will be dumber? Adults will suddenly start wearing diapers again and screaming for “mommy!”? I honestly don’t see why is matters. To ensure that we can serve adults that like YA or GN, simply help the people looking for those materials. Most libraries will have YA for young adults, so the material is already there, why not use it? It’s slightly different for graphic novels because most libraries don’t have a large collection of them, but they exist. Just because there is less of them doesn’t make graphic novels unworthy. What are graphic novels if not a story with pictures? Isn’t that what your TV is? A device that tells stories with pictures? Should people not be enjoying TV as well? I just find it ridiculous for people to tell people to stop doing something just because they don’t agree with it. As long as it’s not hurting anyone, why does it matter? People are reading and enjoying themselves. Isn’t that the ultimate goal? Why does the material make a difference?

The Huntress and the Beast

Heart-wrenching, Steamy, and Vicious

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: New Adult

Book information: Paperback, 448 pages, published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Copyright 2015.

·         ISBN 13: 9781619635180

Trilogy Information: Book #1 A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Book #2 is titled A Court of Mist and Fury.

Book #3 is titled A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Setting: Prythian, a Faerie city. Timeline unknown, but there is a medieval feel to it.

Summary:  Since the treaty that separated the human and fairie worlds, the two worlds have rarely crossed paths. The damage caused prior to that treaty was enough for the humans to not forget how they once suffered. One day, as Feyre is out hunting for food for her starving family, close to the wall that divided their lands, she comes across a wolf that doesn’t seem to be of her world. Desperate to feed her family, she kills the wolf to sell the hide, only to later find out that the creature she killed was not a wolf, but a fairie. Feyre is then swept away to the fairie world of Prythian, to fulfill the demands of the treaty separating their worlds over 500 years ago. Feyre does her best to adapt to the new magical world, but she is worried about the family that gravely counted on her to survive. After finally accepting her fate, Feyre does her best to adjust to her new life, only to find that her new life in Prythian may be short lived. There is a blight on Prythian that seems to be affecting the magic in their lands, possibly leading to utter destruction. If Prythian falls, the human world across the wall may fall with it. Feyre, wanting to save both her old world and the new one she has come to appreciate, finds herself to be the only person in both worlds that might be able to break the curse.

Elements of New Adult

Pace: Intensifying. Typical of books with a fantasy theme, the beginning of the book is largely setting up the world in which the novel is going to take place. However, Maas carefully does that as the story builds, so the more into the story you get, the more details are revealed. This story is also full of action, getting you hooked into those sections were multiple chapters are just mere minutes of the story.

Frame: A Court of Thorns and Roses has more of the frame of a fantasy book than a new adult book. World building is a huge part of the story, but it still has the new adult themes that lie within it. Feyre still must face life altering decisions that transpire no matter what world the novel is set in.

Storyline: Maas’s novel is not your traditional fantasy where there is a clear good and bad. In this novel, the lines are constantly blurred, making the reader unsure on who the character should trust. Since Feyre is already confused about her own life, figuring out who is good and bad is just as confusing to her as trying to figure out herself.

Characterization: Feyre fits in the age group of new adult novels, being 19 at the start of the story. Feyre and a very well-developed character, where she grows as the story grows. Feyre is faced with many difficult decisions for the first time in her life, such as moving away from home, relationships, and her own personal happiness.

Tone: The tone of the book varies as Feyre deals with the new struggles she has encountered. Feyre is mostly trying to find herself, her identity, and who she wants to be in a world where she doesn’t have to be a provider for her family. She finally gets to do the things that she never had the chance to do, like love and paint. She struggles with the depression and guilt of leaving her family behind, as well as the confusion of how she wants to move forward to pursue what brings her joy. A very common theme and tone to new adult novels.   

Style: The book may have many fantasy elements to it, but it reads more like a romance than a fantasy. Romance is not the over arching theme, even though it is heavily present. The style of the book is easy to read and filled with emotional tension. Common in new adult novels.

Appeal: This book has a “Beauty and the Beast” overtone to it, which can strongly appeal to traditional fantasy readers, romance readers, and readers that like strong female leads. However, this novel strongly hits that new adult genre theme of coming to age, discovering oneself, and deciding what kind of future they want to live. Tamlin is a stunningly similar faerie version of the “Beast”, but Feyre doesn’t quite fit the character of beauty, giving it a fun spin on the traditional story. Feyre still has some qualities of the traditional “beauty”, but she is also huntress, so the lure of beauty is not of much importance to her. She relies on more basic instincts to make her decisions, which leads her down a path she can’t return from. She is bold, adventurous, and careful, everything a skilled huntress needs, but also the skills a human needs to survive in a faerie world. Lastly, this book could be a stand alone novel even though it is part of a series. The book ends on a high enough note that you can take it and leave it, or continue in the world of Prythian.    

3 Read-a-likes

1.) Tithe by Holly Black

2.) All that Glows by Ryan Graudin

3.) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Book #2 in the trilogy)