It is common for Children’s librarians to add stickers to the spine of their book collections to identify the content of the books. This is mostly done so the librarians can find the books they’re looking for faster, ultimately picking out books for patrons faster. For example, if a patron is really into star wars, the librarian can make swift dash to the series or science fiction section and pick out the books with the star wars stickers on them to give to the patron. Subsequently, the stickers can help differentiate books for the patrons who are browsing. Is this a mystery book in the fiction section? Well it has a mystery sticker on it, so it must be! What’s more, this can also help when having to have to answer questions. In such a case, let’s say a patron returns with a book they really liked. “Is this book part of a series?” they ask. From the blue sticker, the librarian can instantly determine that the book is indeed part of a series and let the patron know right away without having to check in the computer. All in all the sticker system can be quite a good thing.
But what about diversity stickers? In some libraries, children’s books might have stickers that identify if the main character is of a specific ethnicity, such as a biography about President Obama might then have a “African American” sticker on it or a book about Tiger Woods might have a “Multi-ethnic” sticker on it. If your immediate response to learning about these stickers is something along the lines of “Are you freaking kidding me? Why would anyone do such a thing?”, then you’re not alone. And yet, truth is that there are both pros and cons to the application of diversity stickers. Most arguments one way or the other tend to depend upon the demographics of where the library serves and the collection of the library.
When serving in a neighborhood that is heavily diverse, librarians often want to ensure their patrons have access to materials that represent them. According to the librarians I’ve spoken to who have had experience working in heavily diverse neighborhoods, they found the stickers to be a source of empowerment for the patrons. Children are constantly forced in schools to read books that are Eurocentric in perspective and written by white authors. So when entering their library and seeing on the shelves so many books one after another, row after row, with stickers that say “you are represented in these pages, your culture and your history” can be a truly uplifting experience (so I’ve been told and can imagine). Additionally it provides opportunity for children of any background to explore and experience new cultures and other perspectives, normalizing pluralism.
Alternatively, stickering the books can provide an opposite affect depending on the library’s selection and location. If the library’s collection is sadly minimal in its selection of books that represents diverse representation, then sticking would only demonstrate this and reinforce the domineering force of white representation in books. Also, if the demographic of the area the library serves is mostly white families, then stickering books based on ethnic representation would be more harmful than good by creating a sensation of cultural isolation for children of color.
Another issue with diverse representation stickers is the question of LGBTQ+ stickers. LGBTQ+ stickers comes with its own bag of issues, mostly because not all LGBTQ+ children are open about their being LGBTQ+. Having a bright rainbow sticker on the binder of a library book that reads “LGBTQ+” might be unintentionally exposing the reader’s sexual orientation or gender identity before they are ready to disclose it to their family, friends, school mates, or world at large. Similarly, the sticker might deter a child who is “questioning” or “curious” from reading the book in fear of exposure.
There also might be some confusion about the contents of a book labeled with a LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer plus) sticker. Unfortunately, adding a LGBTQ+ sticker might cause some individuals from reading a really good book they might really enjoy but won’t due to bigotry. This is particularly true of children’s books, which are often chosen alongside their parents. What if the book’s main character happens to be gay, but the book is centered around a mystery irrelevant to the main character’s sexual orientation? What if the book is about a heterosexual romance and the main character’s older brother happens to be transgendered? Exactly how involved in LGBTQ+ culture does a book’s contents have to be to be deserving of an LGBTQ+ sticker? These are questions that don’t truly have an answer.
So the question remains, should these diversity placement stickers exist? I like to believe that one day LGBTQ+ stickers will neither be problematic nor necessary due to society’s true acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people. Until then, librarians should be more contentious about the significance of the negative consequences of these stickers. Regarding ethnic diversity stickers, I like to think hard about our role as librarians and what that exactly means. As ALA’s Executive Library Director Tracie D. Hall said about the US library system, “Let our legacy be justice. When I say let our legacy be justice, I am inviting us to explore the construct of the library as both the vehicle and driver of justice, as both a means to justice and an arbiter (Morales, 2020).” Sometimes the best way to serve the needs of the public will be to listen to the people and reflect on their responses, then decide accordingly.
Bibliography
Morales, M. (2020, June 26) ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall Says Dismantling Racism in Library and Information Services Is Overdue. ALA News. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020/06/ala-executive-director-tracie-d-hall-says-dismantling-racism-library-and.
Shelf Adulation 