Prompt 13- YA NA GN Access

I am a huge fan of YA, I started reading more of them while working in the school library because it gave me a better feel of the books to recommend to students.  It also allowed for different conversations with my own kids and the books they were reading. At that time we were living in the Middle East and so access to YA was only through the school library.  I knew a couple of teachers that also enjoyed YA, and I would often recommend some of the school books to them to read over the holidays.  Moving back to the US I no longer have the access to the school library like I did in Oman, but now we have access to a public library.  I still enjoy YA novels and because I am often looking at books with my kids I don't feel too out of place in the children's section of the library.

However, this prompt has made me think of YA & NA and access to them.  Our current public library and our past public library in Wyoming both had clearly defined adult and children's spaces.  In Wyoming our library had a teen section as well.  Adults can get into the space and the books without going through the main entrance of the teen area and where a lot of the gaming and computer activities happen.  I hadn't given the open space to access this area through the stacks much thought before, but beyond it being a safety measure of not getting cornered or blocked into a room with one access it does give adults the opportunity to access materials without intruding on the teen space too much.  In our current library in Pennsylvania the children's section is split into two, one area for picture books and the other for elementary readers and tween/teen.  As I said I am usually in there with my own children, but it brings up a question of how comfortable are other adults accessing this area.

The question of  'how do we make these materials available to adults and should we' brings up a lot of questions.  Should we make sure they have access to these- absolutely!  However it needs to be done with the thought of safety in mind and how we make all patrons feel comfortable accessing all materials can be more difficult.  In the Wyoming library example I think it is important to note that there is a full time teen librarian and the doors are glass so even if a staff member wasn't in there the staff at the circulation desk has a full view of the area.  This removes a lot of the risk of having adults in a youth/teen area.  By having a seperate access it has allowed adults to access materials without being directly in a teen hangout space.  I feel like this is a great way to manage access and safety.

The library in Pennsylvania does not have a seperate teen or children's librarian dedicated to those spaces.  The developing readers/tweens and teens section is fairly open with the entrance to that area visible from the circulation desk and while there are bean bags etc in there, you don't often find tweens or teens hanging out in the space. It is because of that, I believe that adults are maybe more comfortable going in there, however it isn't ideal for safety or access.  The largest part of the graphic novel section isn't in the children/teen section.  It is in another part of the main library, allow access to all patrons rather easily.  Some that are specifically children focused are still shelved with the childrens books.

Over all I think some adults might feel they are intruding on the youth section of the library and as librarians we need to address the question of access to all while maintain safe areas.  One way to promote YA and NA books is through a book display.  I think that book displays should when possible, offer a blend of materials; fiction, nonfiction, YA, NA.  This is a great way to promote the YA/NA section and assure adult patrons that they are encouraged and welcome to peruse the sections.  Of course there needs to be some signage as well on the books and in the section so that patrons know if they read and enjoyed a NA book where they can look for a similar read.   As a parent I enjoy reading a book that my 12 year old daughter has read- it allows for a new channel of communication.  This could be another way to promote reading in the YA section for adults- offering 2 copies of the same book for parent/guardian to read at the same time as the youth.