Street Lit in the NYT

Urban fiction, street lit, gangsta lit.  Whatever you want to call it (and I think we should all call it gangsta lit.  Say it with me now: GANGsta lit.  Oh yeah, you’re down.), it’s pretty hot even in our suburban library system. 

The New York Times thinks so too, and recently published a story on the topic–From the Streets to the Libraries–which has been making the rounds among librarians in the know. 

It’s an interesting article and gives some interesting perspective about the genre.  But one thing the article kind of skates over is the loss factor.  It’s mentioned briefly: “the library’s embrace has been great for business, since libraries buy multiple copies and reorder when they wear out or disappear.”  But that’s it.  And I think that’s a big concern for many libraries–especially in uncertain economic times when budgets may not allow for replacement.

For more, check out the always entertaining comments section.  (Apparently many readers are a little offended that libraries are still being described as “prim”!  Yeah!)  One commentor also posted a link to ringShout: A Place for Black Literature, which has a great list of contemporary black literature. 

So what are YOUR thoughts on gangsta lit?