Anti-racist Collection Development
Robin Bradford * PLA 3-22-2022
Anti-racist vs. Not Racist
No one is born racist or antiracist; these result from the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do.
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Same Old World….
Same Old World, All new casting.
Old Tropes, New Life
The ninth principle within the ALA Code of Ethics reads:
“We affirm the inherent dignity and rights of every person. We work to recognize and dismantle systemic and individual biases; to confront inequity and oppression; to enhance diversity and inclusion; and to advance racial and social justice in our libraries, communities, profession, and associations through awareness, advocacy, education, collaboration, services, and allocation of resources and spaces.” June 29, 2021
https://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2021/07/ala-adopts-new-code-ethics-principle-racial-and-social-justice
The beautiful words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
Not dependent on demographics
Collection Development
Buy
Display
Promote
Read?
Buy
Discover
Locate
Purchase
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.
First, the general ground rules
The Ground Rules:
You will make mistakes -- you either win or you learn. No life or death stakes here.
You must be adaptable
You must be curious
Buying diverse materials is remarkably similar to buying materials by white, Christian, straight, cis people.
Your job is to open the floodgates, not be a gatekeeper.
Discover
Do you audit your orders?
Let's you know not only what you're ordering, but keeps it front of mind what you're seeing in your usual discoverability spaces
Where are you looking for books? Who has your attention?
Discoverability of titles by diverse authors is getting easier, but it is still going to take some extra work.
Abolish the expectation that it's only worth doing if it is easy to do.
The progress train keeps moving along
Take advantage of vendor work
Take advantage of vendor work
Locate
The vendors have created things to help identify titles
Some vendors are better than others at carrying items, especially self and indie published items
Purchase?
In the real world
So that’s it?
Display and Promote
Purchase is half the battle...
Once you have diverse items in your collection, then what?
Don’t ignore those items in the collection.
Give them the same treatment that you give other books in the collection.
Don’t forget them for displays and lists and every other way you will market your collection.
Books have many entry points, celebrate them all.
Yes, Trans character. But also…legal thriller, urban/set in New Jersey, tackling timely issues such as trafficking.
How else can I help?
Buy to Try not Buy and Die
Market ALL the collections, not just the physical collection
�Buy to Try
Once you have bought material, it's time to promote and market it as you would other materials.
Your booklists are a great place to feature things you've purchased, including diverse materials
Recognize that books by diverse authors aren't marketed to the same extent that other books are, so the built in audience is smaller. That is not a reflection of the worth of the book.
If your patrons love police procedurals…
If your patrons love former police turned independent investigators…
Then try these!
Display and Promote
There is diversity everywhere, we just don't always recognize it.
You don't have to wait until June to add LGBTQ books to any list where they might otherwise fit.
More than meets the eye
Decolonize your thinking
We absolutely still need these!�But people can also be experts in…
Textiles
So what’s left to do?
Read!
You clearly don't have to read every book. But, reading widely is beneficial.
Trying new authors, subjects, genres, gives you a wider range of experience of what is available and what you can offer.
If not reading more books, read more things *about* books so you have more to know about and offer – even if you don't have it in your collection
In the words of Sonali Dev…
“So go out and buy a few diverse books, read them, maybe you’ll travel to fantastic and heartbreaking places. Or maybe you’ll find that hearts break in much the same way no matter who you are. And just to know that, to feel that, it might be worth it.”
YOU are the valuable commodity
Books may be the picture, but YOU (and your skills and abilities) are the frame.
Without you, none of this works on any level.
Diverse books exist and have existed for years. YOU are the bridge that get them into your patrons hands. Buy them, read them, rec them and your patrons will do the same.
Thank you
Twitter: @Tuphlos