True crime has been discussed for centuries, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. We are currently experiencing a True Crime Boom, where documentaries, podcasts, television series, books, and audio-books are being released at a record pace. There are many ways in which libraries can capitalize on this trend, but it’s important to also understand where this trend is coming from and what is drawing people to the true crime genre in order to do so.
True crime has always
been something that fascinates people. The history of the true crime genre
dates way back to the 1550’s in Britain, when authors and printers would
release pamphlets describing shocking murders that happened in the area. Truman Capote can be
credited with modernizing the true crime non-fiction genre, with his work In Cold Blood. This book was released in 1965 and it
deliberated the murders of four family members in Holcomb, Kansas.
Flashforward nearly
fifty years to the year 2014 when the podcast Serial by This American Life was released and reignited a flame in what
is currently known as the True Crime Boom.
Serial is a true-crime
investigative podcast about the 1999 murder of eighteen-year-old Hae Min
Lee. Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud
Syed, was charged with her murder and sentenced to life in prison. The popularity of
this show skyrocketed partially due to the commotion it caused all over social
media. Within a short period of time,
you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about this podcast.
Following
Serial, the docuseries Making a Murderer was released by
Netflix in the year of 2015. This ten-episode
series told the story of Stephen Avery, a man who was wrongfully convicted of
rape and attempted murder and spent eighteen years in prison, and then was
charged again for the murder of someone else shortly after being exonerated. What
drew most viewers to this show was the investigative aspect of it.
Libraries can
capitalize on this growing trend by promoting their materials in ways that
attract patrons. Catchy displays would
be a simple and easy way to promote materials, but there are so many other
things that libraries can be doing.
Programs that are centered around showing true crime documentaries at
the library followed with a discussion about the documentary that was watch
could gather support of community members interested in true crime.
