Looking for blue sky: Strategies for increasing perspectives in library collections

Abstract

Many libraries are confronting the structural and systemic mechanisms that recreate and reinforce white and Euro-centric perspectives in library collections. A small group of librarians at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities spent the past 4 years wrestling with complex questions to offer recommendations and modify collecting practices to increase the diversity of perspectives in the library’s collections. In 2023, the group developed a roadmap for sustainable anti-racist collection development with feedback from library staff.

Creating a roadmap of this sort required us to have uncomfortable conversations and embrace vulnerability–it is all part of the process. Some of the questions we tackled [and in truth, are still tackling] include: How do we define equity in collections? How do we address the tensions between efficiency, shrinking budgets, and equity? Join us as we share insights from our practical experiences and invite attendees to engage with some of the sticky questions all librarians must grapple with to ensure our collections are truly representative of our communities.