Collection Development

When we consider diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, antiracism, and justice (DEI) in the context of our collections, our experiences as practitioners are as varied as our collections themselves. Since collections are developed by people with their own life experiences, likes and dislikes, and biases and prejudices, it is important that we acknowledge that the collections we, as practitioners, steward are shaped by our personal experiences and perspectives. We can develop practices that help to minimize the impact of our personal experiences and perspectives in favor of a broader range of viewpoints.

In this webinar, learn what a diversity audit is, why we should audit our collections, why the structure of the publishing industry may make it difficult to cultivate inclusivity, and most importantly, why it’s important to build collections that are diverse AND inclusive.

In this webinar, learn how UNLV piloted initiatives to diversify collections and how South Puget Sound Community College built on practices that originated at UNLV and expanded them to implement reparations informed collecting across their acquisitions budget. While presenters discuss experiences specific to their differing environments, they also highlight learnings and approaches that can inform similar work across a range of libraries.

Planning, creating, managing, and preserving digital collections, however, can be resource-intensive work that requires technology, new skills, and an ongoing commitment to maintain them. Understanding the full lifecycle of digital stewardship is critical to successful digital collections. These courses, designed specifically with the needs of small cultural institutions in mind, will guide you through the lifecycle of digital stewardship. This lifecycle describes the entire ongoing range of tasks and activities necessary to successfully share digital collections. 

Use these lists from NEA and Colorín Colorado to connect children and their families to diverse books, languages, and cultures and spread the joy of reading.

Books have a way of sparking empathy, drawing readers into the lives of characters who may be different from themselves -- or different from other characters in the story. It's a diverse world, and these books reflect the view that we're all in it together.

Reading Rockets is a national public media literacy initiative offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help. 

First Book is dedicated to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or zip code, can succeed, by removing barriers to equitable education. We reach 5 million kids each year in low-income communities across North America, providing books and resources through a powerful network of more than 575,000 individual educators, professionals and volunteers specifically serving children in need. 

The books spotlight extraordinary women from the distant and not-so-distant past—women both imagined and real, famous and little-known, and from varied cultures, countries, and continents. 

A list of inclusive and diverse literature that the youth of our community can see themselves in as well as use as a conduit to build compassion for others.

Rich in Color is dedicated to reading, reviewing, talking about, and otherwise promoting young adult fiction starring or written by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

The goal of MaiStoryBook is to spotlight children’s illustrated books, as well as provide resources for parents, families, and teachers to inspire in children a love for books and a curiosity for the world of reading- all through a series of MaiStoryBook collections.

A podcast discussing a new indigenous book by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit authors each episode.

An article explaining what decolonizing is and how to practice it. Includes recommendations of publishers, graphic novels, and best practices.

A website aiming to produce books that reflect all children's lives and putting more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all readers.

A website providing critical analysis of Indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books.

A website created as a finding tool to help bridge the gap between readers and books. 

A website with a critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. 

A webinar series that provides a platform for underrepresented voices in children’s and YA publishing to share their unique stories and perspectives with educators. 

An organization whose mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. 

A compilation of statements from libraries and archives on harmful or offensive language in description and bias in cataloging, includes statements about problematic language in both description and resources themselves

An ongoing collection of resources to support academic, public, school, and research libraries and institutions in promoting and supporting EDI throughout their organizations.

A lively conversation about how race and identity have been represented in children's books in the past, how and why authors and illustrators are working to change that in the present, and panelists' hopes for the future of children's literature.

This webinar will look at how staff from the Salt Lake City Public Library (SLCPL) built picture book-based kits to give caregivers the tools to have these important conversations. 

*Must have a WebJunction account to access 

 An article about one librarian's search for a more democratic way of organizing knowledge.

A webinar in which panelists will explore and discuss strategies to overcome them within the library system. They will discuss how to recognize, attack, and eliminate workplace injustice while transforming organizations in the process, along with the role that a diverse collection plays in educating patrons, overcoming barriers and creating awareness.   

An article discussing how diversity audits assess representation in library materials, but most examples focus on children’s books. One librarian shares her methods and challenges in tackling adult biographies.

A documentary film about a group of Dartmouth students who challenged anti-immigrant language in the Library of Congress subject headings.  

An article about how Library subjects and call numbers can be the subject of controversy.

A webinar discussing the implementation of the Non-Library of Congress Subject Heading “undocumented immigrants” (and six variants) to over 5,000 bibliographic records in the CU Boulder online catalog.

This webinar will look at the selection of vocabulary in establishing taxonomies and ontologies.