Libraries Today: Stephanie Campbell

Ensuring Diversity and Inclusion in Library Collections

by Stephanie

Campbell

Collection Development Librarian Selector

Stephanie Campbell

has been a librarian for 25 years, working in public and academic libraries in northcentral Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia suburbs. Areas of specialization include programming, outreach, administration, collection development, plus consulting on the vendor side.

Over the past several years, we have seen a more aggressive pursuit of diversity in all aspects of librarianship: staffing, spaces, public services, and collection development. While library science has always had a core mission of inclusivity, it’s more important than ever to remain vigilant and work to perpetually improve ourselves and our institutions.

The American Library Association has lots of great resources to make sure you understand your overarching obligations on their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion page.1

As far as collections, it’s as simple as Article I of the Library Bill of Rights.2 “Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”

While the second part comes pretty naturally to us, I fear we sometimes stumble over the first part— “the community the library serves.” Libraries typically consult demographic data to drive their efforts, but inclusivity demands that all percentages of the population, however small, be represented. More importantly, we need to reflect the world as a whole, namely the mirrors and windows concept.3

This isn’t necessarily about who our day-today users are. This is about the universality of stories surrounding the human condition. As selectors, we often think ‘I don’t know if anyone here will read this book.’ That’s the constant conundrum of collection development, and these doubts are often amplified when delving into previously unexplored themes. We must be proactive about including marginalized authors, titles, and publishers. Even by knowing our community likes and dislikes, can we definitely say that no one in our community might like a certain topic or genre? Is fear standing in our way?

Work to become as culturally aware as possible. Keep abreast of regional and national bestsellers lists, state awards programs, reviews and starred reviews. Some authors, titles, and themes are simply too important to ignore.

In terms of circulation, are materials not going out because there truly is no audience or because they are inadequately displayed? Patrons want libraries to have an array of engaging material, but they also want to be pointed in the direction of what’s popular/ recommended. One of the most effective and low-key display ideas is as easy as our recently-returned cart. Put it in a public area or convert it to a shelf. We just might be amazed by the circulation numbers a diverse title might receive just by virtue of being seen. Be prepared in the event choices are challenged. Policies should be up-to-date and readily available, and procedures in place to address grievances.

While we can’t be expected to correct the omissions of the past overnight, we also can’t afford to wait. Ask our vendors about collection development resources that may be available to help supplement collection areas. Get involved in the work of our state and local library associations. Many have formed equity, diversity, and inclusion task forces. Even if we don’t have the time or the funds to do any retrospective catching up, that doesn’t mean we can’t work to diversify going forward.