A Book for Every (Adult) Reader [Week 13 Prompt]

One of the (few? many?) joys of adulthood is that we can read any sort of book we please - and that includes those in the New Adult (NA) or Young Adult (YA) category.  It makes my heart happy that adults are reading for pleasure, regardless of what they choose!

The first step a library could take to ensure that adults feel comfortable accessing YA and NA materials is to shelve YA materials separately from the younger children's sections.  An adult reader might feel awkward heading into the children's section sans child to look for reading material, but a YA section (that one needn't walk through the juvenile section to access) seems more appropriate for teens and adults alike.

Additionally, the library staff in the Adult Department should create frequent displays in the adult book section to highlight YA/NA books.  This alleviates stigma - not that there should be any in the first place - of adults reading "teen" books and might catch the eye of someone browsing the adult shelves who hadn't already considered reading a YA or NA book.  Bonus:  Teens will probably venture into the Adult Department to see which YA/NA books we're highlighting.  Wins all around!

Finally, as pleasure-reading library employees, we should talk about the YA and NA books we read and why we enjoy them.  If we hear someone disparaging these books or the adults who read them, it's our time to educate!