Special Topic Paper

Grey the Color of Genre

By Patricia Ferrell

One of the best lessons I learned from working in the Technical Services Department concerning genre, is cataloging genre is not black and white, it is grey. What I mean when I say it is not black and white, I am referring to cataloged items that fall into two or more categories, they are not black or white, but grey, a mix of the two. Sometimes the item does not fit in any category, which is a problem when you can only shelve an item in one location. My experience was mostly with music CDs however, I worked alongside the fiction cataloger and I fully grasp the frustration these cross genre materials can cause. A cataloger’s job is to make items available and accessible to users, so they try to classify materials with that in mind but they cannot please everyone which is why it is frustrating. The popularity of these cross genres are increasing. There is actually a website designated specifically to these cross genre items called genrify.com, it refers to materials being genre blends. In a book review in another article, suggests these types of materials “allow readers to cross the boundaries from one genre to another” (Chadwick, 2014, p.1). With more materials being published as cross genre, genre crossovers and genre blends, the job of the cataloger becomes more frustrating.  Genre classification is no longer black and white, but grey which is why genre classifications should only be used as a starting point in the reader’s advisory interview.

 

There is not an official definition that I have found but here is my definition I will use in this paper; a genre crossover or cross-genre is an item that fulfils the characteristics of two genres. An example is the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, they are mysteries yet also fantasy. The fiction cataloger, I worked with actually claimed they were not mysteries, they just have a mystery in them. She objected to anything with vampires or witches being in the mystery section. Time travel is another theme that can easily be a cross-genre.  Is the novel strictly about time travel or is there maybe a romance, like in the Time Traveler’s Wife. This may not be the best example because in a case of multiple genres a cataloger is trained to classify it in the genre that is the overall theme or main focus of the book. However, there are books that have two genres that have proportional themes or genres. Here are some examples from genrify.com: Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews is both a thriller and historical fiction, The Mouth of the Crocodile by Michael Pearce is both a mystery and historical fiction, and The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro is both Historical fiction and fantasy (McArdle, 2015). Author M.J. Rose said in an article “How to Write & Sell the Cross-genre Novel,” that cross-genres have the potential to reach more readers by appealing to multiple audiences, and the virtual shelf online allows for books that do not fit one category (2013). Rose’s novel The Book of Lost Fragrances simultaneously made the Amazon Best Books of the Month in the science fiction/fantasy and Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 Mysteries & Thrillers (How to Write, 2013).

 

Another problem with classification is “the nature of the system is ambiguous” (Maker, 2008, p.1). How will the user know the libraries’ genre classification guidelines? It is not as if there is an overall head agency that classifies these materials. Like in the case of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, “Definitely Dead” is referred to on the cover as “vampire detective series”  yet really they do not fit Saricks definition of a mystery in “The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction” (Saricks, 2009). Saricks defines a mysteries as being “constructed around a puzzle; the author provides clues to the solution” (Saricks, 2009, p.196). Yes Sookie usually solves a mystery in the book but mostly the book revolves around Sookie’s love life.  At one time some copies at my library were in mystery and the rest in fiction until they were all corrected to be in fiction. One problem is if there are multiple catalogers; they need to be consistent with clear guidelines for determining genres. Saricks offers a list of characteristics of each genre in her book, these may be helpful for catalogers to use (Saricks, 2009).

 

If genres are not black and white, catalogers have a difficult job of classifying materials. One reason books are difficult to classify is catalogers only have the book descriptions to use for deciding the genre. Catalogers cannot spend too much time on a title as far as researching websites for more information. This means that the description must give clues about the genre and the cataloger must have clear guidelines for genres.   Catalogers also rely on subject headings, which may be misleading. Saricks suggests that subject is not as important to readers as how the book moved them (Saricks, 2009). How an author was previously cataloged is another factor catalogers use to decide the classification. The thinking is readers who want more titles by an author expect to find all their materials in the same location, so some titles may be ill suited in a genre just because it is what the author typically writes in. Of course if an author breaks away completely into a new genre they could be classified in two separate genres.

In an article titled, “Reader Centered Classification of Adult Fiction in Public Libraries,” the author stated that users use genres as tools to exclude titles they do not want to read (Maker, 2008). If this is true then readers are missing out on books that may appeal to them. The same is true for readers who only read books from genres they like, they are missing out on titles that they may like but do not fit the guidelines completely for a specific genre. There are many titles that fall into fiction because they are not true mysteries, westerns or science fiction. For example “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, might appeal to mystery readers although it is clearly a psychological suspense.

 

In 2013, I attended the ALA conference in Chicago, one lecture I attended was called “Beyond Genre” the speakers included authors Laura Lippman, Margaret Dilloway and Naomi Novik. This lecture explained genre as being a map with different regions (Lippman, 2013). Sometimes certain regions border other boundaries just like genre (Lippman, 2013). For example a mystery can border fantasy or other regions/genres as well. When authors write books they do not use a formula and sometimes they are not writing for a specific genre (Lippman, 2013), so how does it make sense for reader’s advisors to use a genre formula. The nice thing is electronic books can have two classifications since it can be in more than one place at once (Lippman, 2013). Online sites make tagging books easier so that readers can use as many tags as needed for a book (Lippman, 2013). Although there is no clear way to correctly classify books the speakers suggest that it is okay (Lippman, 2013). If a reader picks up a book in the mystery section that maybe does not fit perfectly, they may find they like something they would not typically read (Lippman, 2013). The main reason for using genre is to make the browsing collection smaller (Trott, 2006). Library users gravitate towards smaller chunks because otherwise they are overwhelmed by the rows of stacks (Trott, 2006).

 

Readers just need smaller chunks of the collection to browse and this is one thing I can personally vouch for (Trott, 2006). In his article, “A House Divided”, Trott says users swarm around carts of recently returned books or even books librarians put out that have not circulated in years, by putting them on a cart it makes them more desirable (2006). A librarian at our main branch just did this with audio books, they were overflow items from other branches and she put them on a cart and they went like hot cakes. The point I am trying to get across is general fiction is large and daunting, as Trott described it, users need some help, which is why genres are helpful (2006). Displays are another way to give readers a smaller section to browse. Read-a-like lists and shelf talkers are two ways to help readers find the next read even with cross genres.

 

Genre may not be black and white and that is okay, it just means librarians need to rely less on genres, and focus more on the reasons a reader likes a book. Trott says that reader’s advisors lack the time to practice their craft, (2006) and this is why I feel being aware of these grey areas can help reader’s advisors. Instead of staff sending readers into the stacks towards a genre, we need to discover what the reader liked about that genre and take them beyond that genre (Trott, 2006). This quote sums it up completely,

“It does not really require a reader’s advisor to point a reader to the mystery or Western section of the library. It does require a reader’s advisor to make those connections between titles and across categories.” (Trott, 2006, p. 5).

 

For readers who read specific genres, they are missing out on titles that may be interfiled in the general fiction, that they may also enjoy but do not fit in a specific genre. Many authors are writing blended novels. Cross-genre is only going to increase as publishers realize they can market to a larger audience. On genrify.com, they let users choose two to three the genres they want to blend together from adrenaline, fantasy, historical, horror, mystery, romance, and science fiction. Sites like these can be tools to help readers.  Genre is just a starting point in the reader’s advisory interview, we must move beyond genre because reader’s advisory is a journey.

 

 

References

Maker, R. (2008). Reader Centered Classification of Adult Fiction in Public Libraries. Aplis, 21(4), 168-171.

Trott, B. & Novak, V. (2006). A House Divided? Two views on Genre Separation. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 46 (2), 33-38.

Chadwick, K. (2014). Pushing Boundaries. Library Journal. 139 (7), 22-30.

Saricks, J. (2009). The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. Chicago: American Library Association.

Lippman, L., Dilloway, M. & Novik, N. (2013, June 28). Proceedings form ALA Conference: Beyond Genre: Exploring the Perception, Use, and Misuses of Genre. [Personal notes]. Chicago, IL

How to write & sell the cross-genre novel. (2013, July-August). Writer's Digest, 93(5), 31+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA332893014&v=2.1&u=merr17317&it=r&p=GRGM&sw=w&asid=e52b7bd012bac0343f6bdd5b0fbddb34

 McArdle, M. M., (2015, March 2). Genre Blends New Releases: March 2015 [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://www.genrify.com/