'We are here because you were there': minority ethnic genre fiction in UK public libraries.

This paper presents findings of ongoing doctoral research into the reading of, and engagement with, minority ethnic genre fiction in public libraries, with a particular focus on Black British and British Asian authors. The research context is first briefly summarised, looking at the nature of minority genre fiction, and at public library provision and readership of materials for ethnically diverse communities. An empirical study is then presented, for which a general survey was conducted of the reading habits and attitudes of library users in the East Midlands region of England. The large sample population of 1,047 public library users enabled both qualitative and quantitative analyses, considering readers’ preferred location for selecting books, their usual reading choices, material that they would not consider reading, and any factors affecting their choice. Finally, a brief comparison is made of libraries of different types, in terms of community, ethnicity or class. The findings indicate that certain respondents appeared to have an increased openness to read from a wide range of genres, even an increased reading confidence as a result of reading books written by minority ethnic authors. It is concluded that promotional activity can play a role not only in offering wider reading choices but also, potentially, in reducing fear and prejudice and celebrating cultural diversity.