Beyond the Bookshelf: When Access to a Collection Isn't Enough

Citation:

Fagan, M. K. (2024). Children's access to books, libraries, and storybook reading: Survey of mothers at a family homeless shelter. Urban Education, 59(4), 1106–1131. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420859211073901

Summary:

One of the recurring themes throughout my MLIS studies has been the distinction between providing access to information and creating meaningful opportunities for people to use it. Mary K. Fagan's research on children's access to books and libraries while experiencing homelessness offers an especially revealing example of this distinction.

Fagan (2024) surveyed mothers of 24 children living in a family homeless shelter and 27 children living in nearby housed families. The study examined access to children's books, public library use, library card ownership, and shared storybook reading. The results demonstrated significant disparities in the availability of books and library participation. Among families experiencing homelessness, 71% did not have library cards, and only 33% of mothers reported reading to their children daily, compared with 73% of mothers in the comparison group.

Although the study involved a relatively small sample from one urban community, its findings raise important questions about how libraries understand accessibility. A public library may possess an excellent children's collection, but the existence of those materials does not necessarily mean that families experiencing housing instability can take advantage of them.

Transportation difficulties, identification requirements, unfamiliarity with library services, and the challenges of maintaining stable routines can create barriers that traditional collection management practices may overlook.

What I find particularly compelling is how this research connects to the distinction between collection development and connection development that we have been exploring in INFO 266. Collection development asks whether the library possesses appropriate resources for its community. Connection development asks whether those resources can actually reach the people who need them.

For families experiencing homelessness, that distinction can be significant. Partnerships with shelters, mobile library services, flexible borrowing policies, and outreach programs may accomplish more than simply purchasing additional materials for an existing collection.

Fagan's study does not directly evaluate these interventions, but it provides evidence of the access disparities that such programs might address. From a collection management perspective, the larger lesson is that circulation statistics and collection size cannot independently demonstrate equitable service. Families who cannot easily visit the library or obtain borrowing privileges may remain invisible in the very statistics used to guide collection development.

Perhaps we should be asking not only whether our collections reflect the communities we serve, but whether our services create realistic opportunities for those communities to engage with them. After all, a library's responsibility does not end when a book is placed on a shelf. In many respects, that is where the work begins.

A Collection Can Be Full and Still Leave a Child Out

 Name: Schwab, Kayla

Citation

IFLA Library Services to Children and Young Adults Section. (2018). IFLA guidelines for library services to children aged 0–18 (C. Rankin, Ed.; 2nd ed., version 1.1.1). International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

Read Here

Summary

The IFLA Guidelines for Library Services to Children Aged 0–18 emphasize the importance of developing library collections that reflect the diverse needs of children and their communities. The guidelines explain that collection development should consider more than the number of books available. Librarians should also consider accessibility, cultural representation, different reading abilities, and the formats in which materials are offered.

One particularly important recommendation is that children's collections should include materials representing different cultures, languages, family structures, identities, and abilities. The guidelines also discuss providing resources in multiple formats, including audiobooks, Braille materials, sensory materials, and digital resources.

The document encourages libraries to involve children and families in decisions about their collections and services. Rather than assuming what children need, librarians should actively listen to the communities they serve.

Evaluation and Reflection

What stands out to me about these guidelines is the difference between having a large collection and having a collection that genuinely serves everyone.

A library might have thousands of books, but what happens when a child cannot find a character who looks like them, a story that reflects their family, or a book in a format they can access? Having a large collection does not automatically mean that the collection is inclusive.

I also appreciate the emphasis on listening to children. Librarians have professional knowledge about collection development, but the children using the library have valuable perspectives about what is missing.

Although these guidelines focus on public library services for children, I believe many of the principles apply to school libraries as well. One practical way to apply them would be to evaluate a collection for gaps in representation and accessibility while inviting students to suggest materials they would like to see.

One limitation is that some recommendations may be difficult for libraries with small budgets, limited staff, or restricted access to specialized materials. However, even small changes could make a meaningful difference.

My biggest takeaway is that collection development should not just be about what a library owns. It should also be about who can use those resources and who feels represented by them.

Curated Collection from Votes

 

Fogelberg, Rachel

 

Heisserer-Miller, R. A. (2023). A Community Curated Collection in an Academic Library: Empowering Students Through Collection Development. NASIG Proceedings, 37. https://doi.org/10.3998/nasig.4031

 

Summary

This is a presentation given at the 2022 annual NASIG conference about two initiatives at an academic library. The purpose of the programs was to involve students in collection development to overcome decreased funding and a need for student engagement. The first program asked students for subject areas that they wanted to add to the library collection that would interest them, such as mental health. The subject areas were then voted on by the students and new materials were added about that subject. The second program was paid for through a grant. Student groups, like the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, created a list of materials and submitted their application. While some faculty did not like the initiatives, the presenter said that the programs offered new ways for library engagement in diversity, equity, and outreach.

 

Evaluation

These program ideas sound exciting and could work with a little adaptation in many types of libraries, such as school libraries, especially with high schoolers, and public libraries. The programs are an effective way to get both patrons and the community involved with collection development. In addition to growing physical materials, the programs could ask for other items to create a new collection, whatever the community requested. For example, a “library of things” could be created from donations from the neighborhood based on common needs from a suggestion box. This idea works for school, academic, and public libraries.

Mapping IDEA in collection development: A scoping and bibliometric review

Name:

Slutzky, Erin

Citation: 

Torres, E. M., Jr., & Peñaflor, J. D. (2026). Mapping IDEA in collection development: A scoping and bibliometric review. IFLA Journal, 52(2), 375-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/03400352251378765

Summary:

This research analyzed studies from 2001 to 2026 that focused on creating a more inclusive and accessible collection in all types of libraries. The study found that, although progress is being made, it is largely limited to Western libraries geographically. In addition, these studies are mainly librarian-focused rather than user-focused, so underrepresented groups are often being overlooked and not heard. The author argues for increased representation, geographically and socially for underserved communities within this research. They claim that the research is imperative to the work librarians do to create equitable access points to inclusive  information.

Evaluation:

I thought this was a very informative article for those attempting to increase DEI representation across all collections. Its evaluation of progress is astute and helpful as well to librarians or future librarians as we need to remember to focus our attention on user-centric goals by listening to those who are underrepresented within our communities. I also appreciate that the article ties in inclusivity to our overall goal as libraries to provide equitable access to information. This illustrates that DEI and inclusive practices are vital to the successful fulfillment of our goals as information hubs.

Ask the Comics Librarians: Small Spaces

Mayer, Shu

Shannan, Meredith. (2022, February 6). Ask the comics librarians: Small spaces. No Flying No Tights. https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/2022/02/06/ask-the-comics-librarians-small-spaces/ 

Summary:

In this article, two librarians discuss how important space is in libraries and how to most effectively display, collect for, weed, and curate small comic/graphic novel collections. They recommend shelving by book title and curating for the community rather than what is deemed 'popular' by recommended book lists. They also recommend being aggressive in weeding smaller collections since space is premium and promoting them more aggressively since less people may know it is present.

Evaluation:

Overall this is a good article for someone who is unsure where to start when setting up a new collection in a limited space. Or potentially, someone moving an existing small collection from being spread out across the library into one consolidated space. It is an article geared towards comic/graphic novel collections-- as the entire noflyingnotights website is specifically for librarians who need help with comic/graphic collections-- but the advice for smaller collections can be easily generalized. 

 Collection Development: The Basics and Beyond

 Clara Shuler

 Vnuk, R. (2015, July 22) Collection development; The basics and beyond. [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IEVL8WV73o
 

This video is a recording of a lecture by Rebecca Vnuk on the subject of the basics of Collection development, offered to MLIS graduate students and professionals as a proffessional development opportunity to fill in the gaps for those whos academic program did not give them a strong basis. It is somewhat dated in its references, but provides an excellent, broad overview of the practicalities of collection development, delivered in an an extremely personable and engaging format. It provides some sorely needed practical context for some of the more theoretical research being done on collection development practices. 

A Review of Citation Analysis Methodologies for Collection Management.

Busath, Kellie

Hoffmann, K., & Doucette, L. (2012). A review of citation analysis methodologies for collection management. College & research libraries, 73(4), 321-335.

This article reviewed how multiple institutions went about doing a citation analysis for collection development purposes. Citation analysis is reviewing the citations used by faculty at the institution to see what areas of expertise needed to be accommodated by the library. It included collecting materials that were listed in citations if they were not already acquired by the library and also collecting materials linked to the citations used. This would be done by reviewing citations and then researching what other articles or resources had used that same citation. The citations were also reviewed to spot trends in research for the institution, collecting materials that would aid in future research endeavors. The article itself was a review of the different methodologies that each institution would use for their citation analysis. It was found that many institutions did not have a set methodology, but instead, everyone at the institution would go about it a little differently. Some common things that librarians would look at when doing a citation analysis was:

1. Type of resource

2. Age of resource

3. Frequency of citation

4. Presence of resource in the library

I found this article very interesting. I had heard about doing a citation analysis, but I wasn’t quite clear on the purpose or method behind it. I learned a lot about both! Doing a citation analysis could be helpful for research institutions, depending on the goals of your library. I belong to a research institution, but our collections policy is to only collect for undergraduate curriculum so faculty research interests may or may not align with that curriculum. In addition, I am currently trying to collect for our Communications College and the faculty there do not have the same publishing requirements as the rest of the University, so it is harder to tell what their interests are. Still the methodologies in this article give good insight into doing this type of analysis for collection development.