Keynote Speaker
“Welcome!”: Offering a Sense of Place & Purpose Through Collection Development
Kaetrena Davis Kendrick, Associate Librarian at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster Medford Library and 2019 ACRL Academic/ Research Librarian of the Year.
Morning Presentations
Queer Inclusivity in Your Collections: A Workshop
Amy Hezel & Melissa DeWitt-Regis University
Description: Faculty at Regis University participated in a semester-long, queer inclusivity learning community to discuss ways to support LGBTQIA students on campus. Presenters will begin the workshop by sharing key concepts and insights from the learning community and how it relates to academic libraries and collection development. Using guided questions, participants will work in small groups to develop ideas to implement queer inclusivity in their library collections. The workshop will end with opportunities for participants to share ideas with the larger group. Facilitators will conclude with resources for self-reflection, next steps, and additional resources.
Collection Diversification at the University of Denver Libraries
Shannon Tharp, Jennifer Bowers, Jack Maness, Katherine Crowe, and Peggy Keeran-University of Denver
Description: The Collection Diversification Task Force at the University of Denver (DU) Libraries seeks to identify gaps in its collections related to works by and about Native America. In particular, the Task Force seeks to identify literature by and about Cheyenne and Arapaho people; DU has recently taken steps to honor that it resides on lands held in stewardship by the Cheyenne and Arapaho, and recognize that DU’s founder, John Evans, was culpable for the Sand Creek Massacre. We feel an ethical obligation as a library to redress these historical wrongs. As such, the Task Force has made use of a five-step strategy to analyze and improve DU Libraries’ collections relative to this project.
In this presentation, panelists from DU’s Collection Diversification Task Force will:
- Discuss the aforementioned strategy and initial results of this long-term project
- Describe the exploration of early representations of Native cultures and Indigenous counter narratives through teaching with captivity narratives and contemporary Indigenous graphic novels
- Share the ways in which this project has begun to inform collection development processes at DU Libraries
Morning Lightning Rounds
Creating a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mini Collection
Lisa Blake-Arapahoe Community College
Description: The ACC Library was approached by faculty members and members of the college’s Inclusive Excellence Council to add diverse titles to our collection on topics of pedagogy and support of underrepresented groups. From this request, an audit of our current collection, and a partnership with the Ethnic Literature class we developed the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Collection. This Lightening Presentation will discuss our process and future plans to create a more inclusive and diverse collection.
Diversity and Representation in Library Collections
Carolyn Carpan-Univ. of Alberta Libraries
Description: The Collection Strategies Unit at the University of Alberta Libraries is finding ways to assess library collections for diversity and representation. Our focus was initially ensuring collections are representative of Indigenous authors and publishers. We are working to expand the focus to historically underrepresented groups. Our assessment methods have included reviewing titles requested for purchase and interlibrary loan to identify gaps in authors, publishers, and titles; reviewing approval plans to ensure monograph purchases are including broad representation; and working with electronic resource vendors to learn what topics our users are searching in databases.
108 Books You Should Read Before You Read Another White Dude
Karen Neville-Red Rocks Community College
Description: Red Rocks Community College English Faculty, Leah Rogin-Roper, wrote an article entitled: "Five Things People Said To Me about Not Reading White Dudes This Year… plus two confessions and one tangent" which was published in Literary Citizen in January, 2019. Along with another Red Rocks English Faculty, Tameca Coleman, and two other Denver area writers (Steven Dunn and Carolyn Zaikowski) Leah published a companion piece: "108 Books You Should Read Before You Read Another White Dude." Red Rocks Community College aquired nearly all of the 108 Books (and then some) and put together a display highlighting these works. This lightning round presentation will cover marketing, reactions, and future plans for the collection.
On the Journey: Assessing, Training & Promoting Diversity in DPL’s Collections
Erin Sladen & Becker Parkhurst-Strout-Denver Public Library
Description: Denver Public Library collection development and public service staff have become more aware of the need to lift up marginalized voices over the past several years. From making purchasing decisions in collection development to developing a staff training on diversity in our collection to consciously looking at diversity when creating core collections lists, we are taking a multi-pronged approach to ensuring that our collection reflects both our community and the world at large. Join us for a discussion on how we find and promote diverse titles, communicate with staff, and how we are conducting a diversity audit on our 42,000+ title fiction collection.
Afternoon Lightning Rounds
How Does Your Library Compare? Gold Rush Analytics for Diversity & Inclusivity
Rose Nelson-CO Alliance
Description: Gold Rush is a library analytics tool developed by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries to assist libraries in shared print programs and general library collection analytics. This program will provide an overview of Gold Rush followed by a more detailed look at its use as a tool to understand how libraries can compare their collections to others with a focus on diversity, inclusivity, and social justice.
Diversifying Popular Reading at an Academic Library
Arthur Aguilera-CU Boulder
Description: Popular Reading, or Leisurely Reading, collections in academic libraries is nothing new. However, for a first-year academic librarian who often doesn’t have the time to read for fun, taking over a popular reading collection can be daunting. In this session, I will go over the steps I took to get acquainted with this small 600-book collection and how I used a database-management software and BISAC subject headings to assess how diverse our collection really was, and the steps I took to bring in more diverse voices. I will explain the history of popular reading in academic libraries, the role it plays in student learning, as well as how to set up a database that can be used to assess diversity. We will explore the management, weeding, selection, and promotion of popular reading books in a large academic library.
A Starting Point: One Way to Assess your Collection for Diversity and Inclusion
Katherine Brown & Britany Hamilton-Auraria Library
Description: Assessing your collection for diversity and inclusion can be a very intimidating task — where do you even start? This presentation will discuss one way to begin assessing the diversity of your collection: identifying diverse resources and verifying if they are owned by your library. I will describe how to locate lists or bibliographies of diverse resources; how to use your ILS and discovery layer to assess the diversity of your collection; and how to visualize and present your results.
Afternoon Presentation
Inclusive Cataloging and Classification
Charissa Brammer & McKinley Sielaff-Colorado College, Janette Ruiz-University of Denver Libraries
Description: Collections are only useful if people are able to find what they need. This simple principle has guided the cataloging and classification of materials for decades. These systems, including the Library of Congress and Dewey classification systems, are not neutral. They embed the cultural biases of their creators and the people who have been tasked with maintaining them into the subject headings, call numbers, and the physical placement of the materials in the collection. How, then, can librarians be sensitive to the potential harm that comes from erroneous or offensive subjects and call number placement, while still maintaining the ability for patrons to find the information that they need?
In this presentation, we will outline the history of classification systems and the biases they contain. We will discuss partnering with your community to improve the cataloging and classification of sensitive items. We will consider some case studies where classifications have been improved in the following ways: replacing offensive and outdated headings, adding newer, community-informed headings to existing records, and by putting interpretive signage in the stacks at the point of access to help patrons to understand the systems that are currently in place. We will wrap up the session with a discussion of how to be respectful of people while cataloging and classifying items. The result will be a take away list of best practices and some ideas about how to apply these practices in your library.
Vendor Panel
Description: Facilitated Q&A session where vendors discuss how they have integrated diversity, inclusivity, accessibility into their products and services.
Adam Matthew Digital - Lenny Rogers
Gale-Cengage - Heather Wiegand
Taylor & Francis - Sage Milo / Danielle Adamowitz
Other Resources