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Geared toward women, the romance novel is a form of literature that presents a love story with a central female character and a focus on that character's emotional state. Feminist scholarship and libraryrelated literature from the 1980s and 1990s suggests a bias against romance novels on the part of librarians. The literature suggests that the reasons for these attitudes include the marketing of romance novels as commodities rather than literature, the presence of sexuality in the novels, and concern on the part of feminists that romance novels send the message that the key to a woman's happiness is found in being dominated by a man.
To counter this negative perception, some library and information science (LIS) authors and practitioners have worked to foster positive views of the genre. Many female, and some male, librarians admit to reading romance novels, while others proudly admit to writing them. Scholars such as Mary K. Chelton and sociologist Janice Radway articulate the appeal of romance fiction to its readers, and others view romance as a staple of genre literature no different than mysteries or science fiction. While romance novels and their readers have been addressed in the research literature, the attitudes of working public library staff toward romance fiction and its readers have not been given similar attention.
This paper presents the results of a research study on library staff attitudes toward romance fiction and its readers. Participating in the survey were Missouri library directors, a body composed of both MLSdegreed librarians and individuals who perform all the functions of a librarian though they do not hold the accredited degree, as is particularly common in rural areas of the state. The study was exploratory in nature, because the bulk of library literature on romance is comprised of anecdotes and assumptions; there is very little research on the actual attitudes and practices of library staff toward romance. Based on answers to the survey questions and written respondent comments, answers to the following questions were explored:
1. Are romance novels a significant element of the collection, as indicated by collection development funding and cataloging practices?
2. How do public librarians and library staff perceive romance readers?
3. Do public librarians and library staff feel that romance reading is detrimental to women?