Do librarians read nonfiction?
20 March 2014
This is a question I have wondered about for some time. I have been thinking about it again this week after reading RickLibrarian's excellent post about the lack of nonfiction galleys and programs at the Public Library Association conference last week.
Although many librarians I have met have been enthusiastic readers of both fiction and nonfiction, I have always had the feeling that they are always slightly more interested in fiction (particularly genre fiction, in my opinion) than in nonfiction, and that they also weren't as comfortable helping patrons find recreational nonfiction reading choices. This strikes me as a shame, because helping people find good nonfiction books is a load of fun.
I have also noticed this trend in the new LibraryReads booklists, which are being heavily touted as the librarians' response to other trend-making booklists. So far I have found this list disturbingly short on nonfiction. That is very disappointing, although I salute what they're trying to do.
What say you? Do librarians need to wake up and smell the delicious nonfiction coffee?