The case for chick lit in academic libraries

Purpose The purpose of this article is to prove that chick lit is a legitimate and important area of collection for academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach This article presents a definition of chick lit with an overview of the origin and significance of the term itself, discusses chick lit's impact on publishing, and its relationship to academia and women's writing. Findings Chick lit is an important area for libraries to collect in because it is representative of women's writing in the twentieth‐twenty‐first century, and because it is a cultural and economic force in the publishing and entertainment worlds. Practical implications This article presents guidelines on building a chick lit collection. Originality/value This article provides a perspective on chick lit lacking in the literature aimed at academic libraries. A search of Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA), Library Literature and Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) reflects the dearth of articles on this specific topic.