Week 13th Response

I try not to seem to passionate about this topic so that I don't come off too strong when in actual, face-to-face conversation with people. However, if anyone took a glance at my Special Topics Paper synopsis from weeks ago, they would have found that I will indeed get into a bit of a fight over what constitutes as "real reading". Somewhere, there is written a list of requirements that dictate the legitimacy of a reading selection, only visible to self-appointed gatekeepers of the "real reading" community. For the rest of the planet, there is no silly gate.

In order to accurately serve our patrons, we tend to focus on subjects and topics that appeal most to the immediate community it serves. Here in beautiful Fort Wayne, Indiana, we have thirteen branches of the Allen County Public Library. Each library has access to the same powerfully large collection that stems out of the main library downtown. However, each library, depending on its geographical location in the county, contains featured sections that appeal most to its immediate community. For example, one branch's most popular collection is Inspirational literature, while another's is Urban Fiction. In the grand scheme of things, we probably don't need an incredible selection of wholesome Amish romance literature, but we do have an interest in that realm, so we serve our community by providing it to the best of our abilities.

I believe the enemy to the librarian is generalization. This isn't to say that we don't take a few shots at our most-loved categories, know what compromises as the most interesting, simply that we don't associate one demographic with one sort of part of our collection at all times. Providing a myriad of options means that we are considering all of our patrons and what they check out. For example, I read plenty of graphic novels and young adult fantasy fiction. There is a sort of majestic quality to the tone of these books.

I find it hard to believe that there are people who see you reading a copy of say Strange the Dreamer  by Laini Taylor and then fault you for not reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky to relax. Stopping someone from reading what they love may stop them from reading altogether. It is much easier to imagine how severe an impact this can be if it is applied to, say, fans of horror books. Stephen King would immediately be off to the table for most if their preferred genre were suddenly considered ashamedly illegitimate in its choice.

I would like to close this off by reiterating form my special topics point that young adult, new adult, and graphic novels follow the same methodical structure that a regular adult novel takes, but its execution differs just that might to place it in one of these other categories. Visual storytelling is as valid a form of reading as their no-image counterparts. They are composed using the same methods of standard literature, simply forgoing their obvious structure in favor of one that is meant to not only appeal to our emotions and intellect, but our keenness to aesthetic, style, and perception of symbolism, metaphors, and simply the human face’s reactions. We hail movies like The Watchmen for its complexity, but tend to forget the source material was a very intense graphic novel.

Of course, the library should cater to all of its patrons, not simply the ones that fall into the category marked with invisible lines as "real readers of adults books because they are adults".