Curating Community Collections

A primary question for many librarians, directors, and board members is how to evaluate diversity in a collection on an ongoing basis. Curating Community Collections: A Holistic Approach to Diverse Collection Development (Bloomsbury, 2024) by Mary Schreiber and Wendy Bartlett provides librarians with the tools they need to understand the results of diversity audits and to formulate a reasonable, achievable plan for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion not only in the collection itself, but also in library collection policies and practices. Information on ways to make diversity, equity, and inclusion part of a library's everyday workflow will help ensure the sustainability of these principles. Schreiber and Bartlett teach readers how to increase the number of diverse materials in their collections and make them more discoverable to library patrons through the implementation of a community collections program. Stories from librarians around the United States and Canada who are auditing and improving the diversity of their collections add broad, scalable perspectives for libraries of any size, budget, and mission. Action steps provided at the end of each section offer a practical road map for all types of libraries to curate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community collection.

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Mary Schreiber received her M.L.I.S. degree from Kent State University’s School of Information. She has worked in children’s services, collection development, and is currently a branch manager for Cuyahoga County Public Library. She authored Partnering with Parents: Boosting Literacy for All Ages, which was released in 2019.

Wendy Bartlett is the Collection Development and Acquisitions Manager at Cuyahoga County Public Library. Wendy has also served as a branch manager for CCPL. Previously, Wendy was the Assistant Director at the Kent Free Library in Kent, Ohio, and before that Wendy was the Regional Manager for the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Borders Books and Music stores. Wendy's first book, Floating Collections: A Collection Development Model for Long-Term Success, was published by Libraries Unlimited.

Dr. Michael LaMagna is the Information Literacy Program & Library Services Coordinator and Professor of Library Services at Delaware County Community College.