Building and promoting a diverse library collection

How effectively am I creating and marketing a balanced library collection that represents the variety among residents of our community? As part of my studies in librarianship this semester, I plan to explore this question.

A balanced and diverse library collection is aligned with the vision of district libraries among Santa Rosa City Schools, which is that “SRCS Libraries create and maintain a welcoming environment where students have equitable access to diverse, quality resources and are encouraged to be lifelong readers and responsible global citizens” (Santa Rosa City Schools, n.d.).

This goal also has personal and professional meaning because of my experience as a librarian and reader who is autistic and non-binary. I want readers to find “mirrors” for their experience in a way that I have not always been able to, and I include this statement of positionality to emphasize how important it is for me to achieve my goal.

The communities that libraries serve are increasingly diverse. “Race, ethnicity, language, physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status, gender expression, and sexual orientation are just a few ways diversity is reflected in [students’] lived experiences” (Hughes-Hassell, 2020, p. 21).

Local library stakeholders consistently express interest in a diverse collection. I will never forget the day that a young person handed me a brochure of LGBTQIA+ books that they’d picked up from the public library and expressed a desire that I stock books like those that were featured in the brochure. I was fairly new to the role of Library Technician at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts, and had to admire this young person’s courage in approaching an adult they barely knew to ask for queer representation in their school library.

A more recent expression of interest took place among school staff’s freeform responses to the Panorama Education Survey, administered in October 2025. In response to the question, “What is the most important thing your school can do to support students of different races, ethnicities, and cultures?,” one of the freeform responses was to “Provide more books in the library that reflect different races, ethnicities, and cultures” (Panorama Education, 2025).

A similar sentiment is expressed by Welcoming Schools, a provider of professional training that emphasizes embracing all families, creating LGBTQIA+ and gender-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, and supporting transgender and non-binary students. “One of the best ways to welcome students and families into your school community is to integrate high quality texts into your classroom and school libraries” (Welcoming Schools, n.d.).

Demographic information
Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California serves a TK- to 8th-grade population of roughly 414 students (US News & World Report, n.d.-a). Among the demographics for my site’s student population, enrollment by race consists of white at 60.7 percent and Hispanic/Latino at 27.8 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-a). Two or more races are represented at 8.5 percent, Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander at 1.2 percent and Black or African American at 1.7 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-a). Enrollment statistics by sex consists of females at 54 percent and males at 45 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-a). Thirty-six percent of students at SRCSA are economically disadvantaged.

District-wide, enrollment by race consists of Hispanic/Latino at 65.9 percent and white at 23.3 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-b). Two or more races are represented at 4.8 percent, Asian or Asian Pacific Islander at 3.2 percent, Black or African American at 1.6 percent, American Indian or Alaska Native at 0.5 percent and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander at 0.4 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-b). District-wide enrollment statistics by sex consists of females at 49 percent and males at 51 percent (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-b). District-wide, 57.6 percent of students are economically disadvantaged (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.-b). U.S. News & World Report bases its site and district figures on data for school years 2021-2022; 2022-2023; and 2023-2024.

Regarding the prevalence of students who identify as LGBTQIA+, a recent resolution of support that came before the school board noted that “As many as 1 in 4 high school-age students in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, gender-nonconforming, and gender-fluid” (Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education, 2026). A recent Gallup poll indicated that “More than one in five Gen Z adults, ranging in age from 18 to 26 in 2023, identify as LGBTQ+” (Jones, 2024, para. 5). Bisexuality is the most commonly-claimed LGBTQIA+ status among adults of Generation Z, of the millennial generation, and of Generation X (Jones, 2024, para. 6).

Implications for a diverse collection
One approach when diversifying a library’s collection is that the percentage of books that center a particular population should match the percentage of that population among the local community. D’Elia believes this approach is undertaken with “absolute best intention” (n.d., para. 3); however, the flaw in that approach is that “if the school population is not diverse then your collection never will be” (D’Elia, n.d., para. 4).

Bishop, arguing for the importance of diverse collections, stated that books provide “mirrors” that enable readers to “see their own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience (2017, p. 1). Books also provide “windows” allowing readers a glimpse into lives that are not like their own (Bishop, 2017). In 1990, when Bishop’s essay was originally published, she pointed out that for many years when searching for stories that reflected their experiences, the search by non-white readers would be futile. Children from society’s dominant groups would always find their mirror in books, but “they, too, have suffered from the lack of availability of books about others” (Bishop, 2017, pg. 1). Bishop’s landmark essay continues to be cited today among librarians and others who advocate for diverse perspectives in children's literature.

Taking up Bishop’s metaphor, D’Elia argued that providing “window” books for white students “is one of the most effective ways to encourage empathy and develop unbiased attitudes” (n.d., para. 13). I would extend this argument more broadly: toward any group with a “normal” or “default” status in society. Readers who are cisgender, heterosexual, allosexual, neurotypical, possess typically-functioning bodies, and/or enjoy a home-life with economic or family stability need windows into the lives of people who are not like them.

To cite one area where we especially need to cultivate empathy, given the hostile political climate: Dorr and Deskins (2018) argued that all children should be exposed to stories with LGBTQIA+ characters. Doing so isn’t about exposing children to details of sexual practices; rather it’s about “understanding, empathy, acceptance, and respecting basic human rights” (Dorr & Deskins, 2018, p. xxii). The social impact of “window” books might not be immediately measurable because “social impact and change only become apparent after years of delivering programs intended to bring about change” and many other factors may have contributed toward that social change (Irwin & Silk, 2019, p. 326). But that doesn’t let me off the hook for building and promoting a balanced collection in the library.

Approach and focus for my inquiry
D’Elia advocated for a library collection that is “balanced in all areas of diversity regardless of student population” (n.d., para. 5). Among a 200-book collection, D’Elia envisioned 10 books apiece among the following representations by race and culture: “Asian/Pacific Islander/Asian American,” “Bi/Multiracial/Mixed Race,” “Black/African/African American,” “Brown-Skinned and/or Race Unclear,” “First/Native Nations/American Indian/Indigenous,” “Latinx/Hispanic/Latin American,” “Middle Eastern/North African/Arab,” “Multi-Racial Cast of Characters,” “Nonhuman Characters,” and “White.”

Following D’Elia’s lead, my goal is to curate a balanced library collection. I want to boost the number of books that center Latino or Hispanic characters, consistent with the population’s nearly two-thirds majority in the school district. Otherwise, to achieve the type of balance that D’Elia advocated, numbers should be sorted fairly equally among racial groups.

A balanced collection should also include books that center characters who are LGBTQIA+, characters who are disabled, and/or neurodivergent, characters who occupy a variety of social classes, or have a variety of family structures or living situations. Some of these points might be difficult to document, because tracking characters’ social class, their family structure, and their housing situations have not been given as much attention as other demographic areas.

“Children, like all of us, have many identities and experiences that they deserve to have reflected in the books they read” (Griffin, 2022, para. 5). In order to truly reflect the “complexity of human identity,” it is insufficient to focus solely on racial and gender diversity (Griffin, 2022, para. 5).

Young people can also “hold multiple identities that shape their experiences of equality or inequality” (Hughes-Hassell, 2020, p. 22). Students who appear to be racially similar “are likely to differ in other dimensions of their identity” (Hughes-Hassell, 2020, p. 23). When selecting books, I also want to be mindful of intersectional identities. It would be misleading, for example, to choose books in which only white characters are depicted as living with a disability or as being members of LGBTQIA+ communities.

In the interest of creating a balanced library collection, I will look at percentages of books that highlight various groups among books that I purchased from an online retailer between 2018 and 2026.

I will additionally look at how effectively I am promoting books that feature protagonists from a variety of backgrounds. To do this, I will examine the balance among books that I feature in videos on YouTube: specifically those books featured in my “First-chapter Friday” videos as well as videos that highlight books around certain character traits that the school is focusing on. This study is achievable thanks to TeachingBooks’ collection-analysis toolkit, which provides “immediate insights into [a] collection’s genre, cultural, and curricular classifications, while also considering reading levels, text complexity, and recency of publication date” (TeachingBooks, n.d., para. 4).

For comparison, I can also examine “TitleWise” data about the entire collection, which is available through the vendor that supplies my library’s online catalog. These two datasets will help me pursue my goal because they will identify overages and shortfalls. Activities to take on as a result of data-gathering include researching available books that can fill documented needs, e.g. areas where there are shortfalls; purchasing books, preparing them for use, and promoting their availability through videos, brochures, physical displays, and featuring the books during storytimes.

About the library’s stakeholders
Stakeholders in this project include young people who will hopefully find “mirrors” and “windows” in the books they read, school staff who may want to utilize these books when working with students, and caring adults who have a vested interest in a diverse library collection. These latter stakeholders include school and district administrators, but they also include a parent’s group that provides me with money each year to purchase new books for the school library. My school’s PTO is in the process of forming a “Friends of the Library” group to expand its investment in the library.

Finally, I consider the books’ authors and illustrators among interested stakeholders, even though their interest and awareness will not be directed specifically toward my school and my community. Authors write so that young people “will find the stories and ideas that matter to them” (Pérez, 2025, p. viii), and they rely on libraries to help make their books available so that young readers can choose them.

References:
Bishop, R.S. (2017). Multicultural literacy: Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Reading is Fundamental. https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf (Reprinted from “Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,” 1990, Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, 6[3])

D’Elia, L.B. (n.d.) What does a diverse collection look like? Diverse BookFinder. https://diversebookfinder.org/news-views/what-does-a-diverse-collection-look-like/

Dorr, C. & Deskins, L. (2018). LGBTQAI+ books for children and teens. ALA Editions.

Griffin, S.R. (2022). Socially just books tracking tool: Helping children see themselves and others through diverse literature. Medium. https://medium.com/@shaylargriffin/socially-just-books-tracking-tool-helping-children-see- themselves-others-through-diverse-ad956f6954ac

Hughes-Hassell, S. (2020). Collection management for youth: Equity, inclusion, and learning. American Library Association. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/jckl/detail.action?docID=6426198&pq-origsite=primo

Irwin, B., & Silk, K. (2019). Changing stakeholder expectations of library value. Public Library Quarterly, 38(3), 320-330. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2019.1571398

Jones, J.M. (2024, March 13). LGBTQ+ identification in U.S. now at 7.6%. Social and Policy Issues. Gallop. https://news.gallup.com/poll/611864/lgbtq-identification.aspx

Panorama Education. (2025). K-3 teacher perception of student SEL (SY 24-25). https://secure.panoramaed.com/srcschools/understand/17078409/summary

Pérez, A.H., ed. (2025). Banned together: Our fight for readers’ rights. Holiday House.

Santa Rosa City Schools. (n.d.) Libraries. https://www.srcschools.org/families/libraries

Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education. (2026, Jan. 14). Resolution No. 2025/26-32, reaffirming support for LGBTQIA+ Community. https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=36030438&MID=44773&Tab=Agenda&enIID=dVke4WBBOOW4S5siN8BXRA%3D%3D

TeachingBooks. Collection analysis toolkit. https://school.teachingbooks.net/show.cgi?f=analysis_tools

U.S. News & World Report. (n.d.-a). Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. U.S. News & World Report K-12 Directory. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/california/santa-rosa-charter-school-for-the-arts-233796

U.S. News & World Report. (n.d.-b). Santa Rosa Elementary [district]. U.S. News & World Report K-12 Directory. https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/california/districts/santa-rosa-elementary-115108

Welcoming Schools. (n.d.) Books. https://welcomingschools.org/resources/books