sectioning off

for assignment 2 i cited the case of sund v. city of wichita falls from our i.f. manual, which raised a lot of additional questions for me. in it, the court struck down a city council resolution allowing books, mainly “daddy’s roommate” and “heather has two mommies,” to be moved from the children’s section to the adult section. the court found that it would create a burden for people browsing the children’s section even though the books could still be located through the catalog and were not restricted. so are cataloging decisions just as much about ethics as designing an efficient retrieval system? if i mistakenly label richard brautigan’s “trout fishing in america” as non-fiction in a marc record, could the library be sued for creating a barrier to access even though there was no intention to do so? of course, if the mistake was found it would surely be corrected and there would be no need for a suit. but what about a library that invests little money in hiring a knowledgeable staff? if the library were poorly managed and the materials located in a haphazard manner, could it then be sued then for repeatedly limiting access?

also, i wonder how many librarians and bookstore owners truly think through their decisions when designing and labeling the different subject sections. at times it almost looks like segregation, with so many authors divided by race and sexuality. when i was younger, living in the south and in the closet, i was nervous as hell whenever i stood in the gay and lesbian area. it made me paranoid and certain that everyone around me was staring and judging. why shouldn’t all literature just be labeled as fiction and collocated? is there a reason why african-american and asian authors need separate shelves? i always felt that i was being singled out when browsing, and that the books were either consciously or subconsciously placed there to create a subtle level of intimidation. but it completely depends on the context. when jeanette winterson is in a separate section in a seattle library, it feels more like a positive acknowledgment of diversity. i think it's hard to predict the reactions of patrons and whether they'll view the physical separation as easier access or as a barrier, and is best left together.