RA for Fandoms Part 2: Women in SF and FSY

My RA for fandoms post yesterday drew a lot of interest.  In fact, here is an article form the ALA that I forgot to link to that explains why libraries need to know about fandoms with many more resources.

One of the main reasons fandoms are going mainstream is due to the unprecedented growth of fandoms among girls.  You can click here, here, here, and here to read articles on this trend from many different points of view.

Now this change from a fandom world dominated by fanboys to one quickly moving to be over 50% fangirls [in a very short time frame], has led to some very serious problems. However, I feel like the library is a safe space for girls in fandoms.

My feelings about this perception of safety are not based on research, but when I did work with teens in the public library I saw this to be true, and an informal survey I did of my colleagues confirms this.

Also, a few weeks ago Seattle hosted Geek Girl Con and during the convention, a group of Washington librarians gave a talk entitled, Awesome Women in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Misha Stone wrote up this great summary [with presentation links] for The Booklist Reader. Thanks Misha.

You can find more resources on the Geek Girl Con website. And don't forget, if someone did a presentation that looks interesting to you, look them up on social media and reach out. These presenters are wonderful resources in and of themselves.

I don't plan on continuing this conversation here on the blog for a third day, but then again, I didn't plan on it going a second day. All I know is that there is a need for us to talk about fandoms and RA service because all I did was one quick post and it hit a chord. People were reaching out to me.

I hope you can use these two posts to take the next step-- actively trying to provide RA service to patrons in fandoms.