Auditing Diversity in Library Collections

by Sarah Voels, Rosalind A. Washington (Foreword by)

Overview

After explaining the importance of diversity audits, this book offers a range of options for how to go about conducting them.

Library collections serve as a reflection of their communities and the wider world, and audits are the best way to assess the inclusivity of these collections. In this practical book, Sarah Voels helps libraries meet the challenge of doing a diversity audit.

The task of auditing a collection for its diversity is essential to the development of a reflective collection. Conducting a diversity audit gives library professionals a realistic and accurate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the materials they provide their readers. Only with this information at hand can libraries work toward improvement. But what's the best way to conduct an audit? What criteria should be used? How can audits be tailored to specific communities? How much will it cost, and how much time will it take?

Voels has taken away the guesswork by surveying a wide range of libraries that have performed diversity audits and sharing their successes and challenges. She suggests best practices while acknowledging that each library's specific situation will be unique. All libraries considering a diversity audit will benefit from this guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440878749
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/24/2022
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,116,914
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.34(d)

About the Author

Sarah Voels is the community engagement librarian at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Table of Contents

Foreword Rosalind Washington vii

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 The Diversity(?) of Library Collections 1

Chapter 2 Introducing Audits as a Means for Change 27

Chapter 3 A Study in Cedar Rapids, Iowa 41

Chapter 4 Auditing Public Library Collections and Programs 59

Chapter 5 Auditing School Library Collections 87

Chapter 6 Diversity Elsewhere and Auditing the Other 99

Chapter 7 Barriers to Audits 107

Chapter 8 An Interview with Karen Jensen 121

Appendix A Suggested Resources 127

Appendix B Public Libraries Interviewed for This Book 131

Appendix C A Summary of Audit Advice from Libraries in This Book 133

Index 137

Editorial Reviews

"A valuable resource for public and school libraries considering performing diversity audits on their collections, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about diversity audits." — Booklist

From the Publisher

05/01/2023

An insightful book packed with helpful and timely information to aid librarians and library professionals who may be envisaging a diversity audit of their library collection. Voels begins by providing an overview of the history of publishing in relation to equity, diversity, and inclusion; the history of diversity audits; and how audits have impacted her library's collection. Other chapters discuss audits done by public and school libraries across the country, flaws and limitations of audits, and how libraries have used audits to stimulate equity in other aspects, such as programming, instruction, and community relations. Each chapter ends with references, and an index and suggested resources are provided in the back of the book. A summary of audit advice from the libraries included in the book is also quite useful. VERDICT This informative and engaging book is a great choice for both library students and established public and school librarians.—Susan Ketcham

School Library Journal