Diversity and Library/Information Collections

Tamquita Johnson

Dominican University

701 Core Values, Ethics, and Issues of the Library and Information Professions

Anthony W. Dunbar

November

20,2022
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Diversity and inclusion in library collections is a real-world issue that plays a large part in who

and what information resources are presented to their community. There are many pieces to any problem

and many contexts in which issues may be expressed, discussed, or interpreted. Library collections must

represent the diversity of people and ideas in our society and every community they support. Librarians

must select and support access to content on all subjects that meet, as closely as possible, the needs,

interests, and abilities of all persons in the community the library serves. Intellectual freedom, the

essence of equitable library services, provides free access to all expressions of ideas through which any

side of a question, cause, or movement may be explored (“Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the

Library Bill of Rights” 2020).

Many institutions have been trying to adopt new ways to improve the diversity in their

collections with integrated programming, collection review, community outreach, and suggestions to

help with this issue. One approach to a solution or change management was developing better core

values that ask for diversity and inclusion in any form—both at libraries, professional communities, and

other institutions that support them. One example is expanding and creating space and programs to

include the communities the library supports and educates the patrons even when the information isn’t

of interest. For example, the University of Wisconsin has language programs that offer courses in the

North Sámi language, one of the Fenno-Ugric Languages: a sister language to Finnish. The institution

stated that this was a marginalized group in 19th-century Scandinavia. The courses offered at the

university allowed the library to acquire knowledge of the language and culture at the library. In

addition, they found ways to obtain source materials to support this program making their collection

more culturally diverse.

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When considering the vast and rich collections we have in our libraries, which represent areas

where cultures, languages, and pieces of literature are quite different. For many years no one required

libraries to have diverse collections. Most libraries practiced discrimination and were racially segregated

in the Jim Crow South. The resources of these institutions only allowed for the people they patronized

voices and likenesses to be represented. Racism and discrimination in many countries show up in library

institutions and available resources because of the past ways society believed to be okay behavior and or

the law. Correcting past tropes and change is possible by having professional groups and communities

push for diversity and inclusion in every aspect of the library.

ALA’s core value is promoting diversity inclusion both in the resources they provide and in the

staff and how we engage with our community. Public libraries today are at a crucial moment when it

was thought that public libraries would become obsolete during the information age. So many critics

asked how libraries will remain relevant in the age of online information and instant results at your

fingers. Nearly 20 years later, libraries have transformed from being chiefly about materials to

community anchors for formal and informal learning, technology access, workforce development, and

community engagement (Smith 2011). Findings of the Pew Research Center’s critical study Libraries

2016 revealed that 66 percent of Americans say closing the local public library would significantly

impact their communities. This percentage was higher among some demographic groups, including

women and college graduates (Horrigan 2020). This study shows the importance and needs of the public

library.
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The libraries have become relevant in the resources they provide and how they support and

encourage diversity and inclusion in their spaces. According to Kolosa, research has shown that the

collection diversity is linked to two things its staff that directly influence the sources of the

comprehensive learning process. First, resources with intersecting characters, characters with different

backgrounds, sexuality, family structures, and disabilities should be included in the library collections

(Kolosa 2022). The library has become even more important as a social infrastructure providing the

setting and context for social participation as a necessary form in today’s society (Reporter 2020).

Elected officials have argued that 21st-century libraries no longer need to provide resources they once

commanded because the internet content is free. That is a false narrative, as historically, libraries have

proven that both the structures and the people operating these facilities have performed and continually

cultivated ways to improve and diversify the resources, programs, and staff. To be equally yolked at

what society requires of them, being a place of information for their community and society. That said,

libraries across the world still have work to be done to diversify their resources and staff.

According to American Library Association, data indicate that of all credentialed librarians, 85.2

percent are white, 5 percent are African American, and 4.8 percent are Latino (ALA, 2012). This data

gives a general idea of what the LIS profession visually probably resembles. As a result, ALA has set

increased professional diversity as a strategic priority of the association. Working to get diverse staff

groups at the professional levels, public libraries will become responsive to societal and cultural

realities.

For the public library to remain a vital and valued institution, we need staff that more closely

mirror the demographic makeup of their communities. Collection development should reflect the

philosophy inherent in Article I of the Library Bill of Rights: “Books and other library resources should

provide for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library
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serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those

contributing to their creation.” A diverse collection should contain content by and about a wide array of

people and cultures to authentically reflect various ideas, information, stories, and experiences (“Diverse

Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights” 2020). Some principles that libraries use to

support creating diverse resources depend on the institution, but barriers stopping them can seem

universal. Inadequacies of resource description and classification; an over-reliance on use statistics;

insufficient staffing and available expertise; and budget allocations for materials and operations (Jahnke

2022).

Developing library collections that value diversity requires additional resources to overcome

structural barriers and professional practices that remake or amplify societal injustices. The ALA has

continued to create core values and principles to remove barriers where seeing. Library workers must

acquire, support access to content on subjects, maintain, promote works by diverse authors, creators that

meets as closely as possible the needs, values, interests, of all the people the library serves (“Access to

Library Resources and Services” 2021). Acquiring materials to address direct community input and

unexpressed information needs. Library professionals have an ethical responsibility to be proactively

inclusive in collection development and promotion.

A diverse collection should contain a variety of perspectives, languages, and cultures to reflect

communities. Collection development, cataloging, and classification should be done according to

professional standards and established procedures (“Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the

Library Bill of Rights” 2020). Developing a diverse collection requires selecting content in multiple

formats; considering resources from self-published, independent, small, and local producers; seeking

content created by and representative of marginalized and underrepresented groups. Evaluating how

diverse collection resources are cataloged, labeled, and displayed; including content in all of the
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languages used in the library’s community, when possible; and providing resources in formats that meet

the needs of users with disabilities (“Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of

Rights” 2020).

To accomplish this task, we see increased initiatives in library communities to support and tackle

diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. One example of this is at Los Alamos National Laboratory. They

created a DEI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion steering committee that will lead the library’s efforts. The

current project committee is working to develop the collection with more DEI resources. The DEI

steering committee will provide a formal structure to investigate and lead DEI initiatives related to the

Research Library. The first charge they have is “Provide an inclusive and equitable environment that

encourages intellectual curiosity and collaboration, and respects the diversity of thought, perspective,

experience, and people” (“Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion,” n.d.). The second charge of the committee

directly pulls from the mission and principles listed from the ALA. Section B.3 of the ALA Policy

Manual states, “Libraries will and should play a major role in empowering diverse populations in a

democratic society” (“B.3 Diversity (Old Number 60)” 2018). It goes on to charge library personnel

with the task of proactively dismantling barriers to services faced by diverse communities. National

Information Standards Organization (NISO) and other entities in library and information fields have

continued to form committees using ALA core values and mission to push for a change. The DEI

steering committee will also uphold the program’s mission “to create and sustain an organizational

culture and working environment that provides all employees with an equal opportunity to maximize

their potential within the context of the Laboratory’s mission” (No: PD712) (“Diversity, Equity, &

Inclusion” n.d.).

Libraries around the US now have established programs to identify opportunities to improve

diversity and inclusion in their daily work and collections. Many are looking at social and economic
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contexts and the core professional values that guide us. With the work being done with the new

programs and initiatives being created worldwide. It also has opened a few questions about what

libraries and institutions need to meet the new charges of updating their resources to reflect their

community. Throughout this semester, we have watched many videos and read many articles. On what

libraries want to do and what is working well. Who are the people checking with the libraries that are

quiet during this information age? Who are the people holding them accountable outside of their local

community?

The ALCTS e-Forum “Assessing Collections for Diversity and Inclusion” was held April 16–17,

2019 used a reference interview format to essentially question what diversity and inclusion in library

collections perspective look like for them. This library asked participants to think about ways in which

initiatives, programs, task forces, and community groups to improve diversity in collections can be

proactive rather than reactive. The conversation from the participants centered on graphic novels, comic

books as a growing presence in libraries and should be considered an essential component of diversity

and inclusion. Another library mentioned holding a zine-making workshop, adding the zines to their

collection, and using learning-provided resources to expand the diversity and inclusion of books. The

conversation then focused on textbooks: did participants consider buying textbooks an inclusive practice

by libraries? The resounding answer was “yes,” even if providing them might entail institutional or

fiscal challenges (Office 2019). The second asked what challenges participants had faced in trying to

diversify their collections. Most, if not all, participants concluded that the time was not there to meet

their goals and objectives. However, they didn’t have the bandwidth to examine their collections’

existing inequities. It had everything to do with the funding, collection size, staffing, and having
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stakeholders push the narratives of importance to working on these projects. These are all common

barriers many libraries face when pushing the narrative of change.

The afternoon discussion returned resources that were not reading materials. The final topic

analyzed if libraries factor in the practices of the third-party vendors when trying to be inclusive and

diverse. Libraries have started moving towards community engagement by supporting local and

independent businesses and government agencies (Office 2019). Looking at third-party partners is

another surefire way to diversify library collections. Just like anything, these places provide the library

with resources that should reflect the individuals in their community. For example, if the library has a

vendor that picks up donated books or other materials. A way they can diversify their collections is by

requiring that the transportation vendor routes all the community instead of one section.

Another example is doing book drives in underprivileged communities of color, where the

library gives a book, and a community member donates a book. That is a way to gain community

engagement and diversify the library’s collection to look like the community. Studies have soon found

that the more invested a library is in the community area, the more diverse they become with resources,

staff, and patrons.

In conclusion, diversity and inclusion in library collections will take time to improve. Today I have

listed a few examples of different libraries working to be diverse and inclusive. We were seeing

initiatives, task forces, and new programming be created to supplement fixing the issue. There is still a

deep seeded need to look historically at societal practices and principles to understand why this issue

continues to plague communities—in particular, looking at America, the world’s significant melting pot

of diverse individuals. So, the libraries can fix the root causes of the lack of diversity and be reflective of

the community they support.

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Similarly, meeting the needs of society today when talking about diversity and inclusion in

library collections through staffing and non-book related resources. These resources reflect directly on if

a library can and will meet the needs of its patrons. The research I analyzed in this paper shows many

different avenues libraries are meeting the goals and objectives. The values and mission that promote

these ideas like American Library Association ALA. What are the known barriers from the library’s

perspective time, budget, staff, knowledge, and community requirement, and how is this information

reflected in the patron’s view? What does diversity and inclusion in library collections mean from the

perspective of LIS professionals, the community, professional organizations, and government entities.
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References

“Access to Library Resources and Services.” 2021. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. October 1,
2021. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/access.
“B.3 Diversity (Old Number 60).” 2018. About ALA. November 16, 2018.
https://www.ala.org/aboutala/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/
section2/3diversity.
Baildon, Michelle. 2017. “Creating a Social Justice Mindset: Diversity, Inclusion, and Social
Justice in the Collections Directorate of the MIT Libraries.” May 9, 2017.
https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/108771.
“Diverse Collections: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.” 2020. Advocacy,
Legislation & Issues. October 20, 2020.
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/diversecollections.
“Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.” n.d. Research Library. https://researchlibrary.lanl.gov/about-
the-library/diversity-equity-inclusion/.
“Featured Selector: Todd Michelson-Ambelang, Librarian for Scandinavian Humanities,
Classics, Jewish and South Asian Studies.” 2017. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | UW-
Madison Libraries. September 27, 2017.
https://www.library.wisc.edu/diversity/2017/09/27/featured-selector-todd-michelson-
ambelang-librarian-for-scandinavian-humanities-classics-jewish-and-south-asian-
studies/.
Horrigan, John. 2020. “Libraries 2016.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. May
30, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/09/09/libraries-2016/.
Jahnke, Lori. 2022. “Ideology, Policy, and Practice: Structural Barriers to Collections Diversity
in Research and College Libraries | Jahnke | College & Research Libraries.” March 3,
2022. https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/25342/33226.
Kolosa, Robert. 2022. “Inclusion And Diversity At Libraries.” Princh. July 14, 2022.
https://princh.com/blog-inclusion-and-diversity-at-libraries/.
Office, Alcts. 2019. “Assessing Collections for Diversity & Inclusion: E-Forum Summary.”
ALCTS News. July 26, 2019. https://alcts.ala.org/news/2019/assessing-collections-for-
diversity-and-inclusion/.
Reporter, Guardian Staff. 2020. “Palaces for the People: Why Libraries Are More than Just
Books.” The Guardian. February 3, 2020.
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/sep/24/palaces-for-the-people-at-the-library-
everyone-is-welcome.
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smith, Mark. 2011. “Top Ten Challenges Facing Public Libraries.” Taylor and Francis Online.
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“The Hidden History of Segregation in Libraries.” n.d.
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