Diversity on My Mind

Lederer, Haylee

Johnson, A. (2015). Diversity on My Mind. American Libraries, 46(3/4), 82.

Summary: This article really stresses the importance of diversity in a library's collection. And more specifically, in a children's library collection. Children's librarians have a lot of power over what information and resources are available to their patrons, and Johnson argues that diversity should be a top priority. She advocates for setting goals when it comes to creating and maintain a diverse collection, as well as working with local community groups that push for diversity and acceptance. She pushes for children's librarians to do a lot of reflection, on themselves and their collection. She asks this question to end the article - does your collection adequately reflect the needs and wants of your community?

Evaluation:As an elementary school librarian, diversity is something I thrive for. Budget cuts and constraints make it difficult to achieve, but it is a goal of mine. So this article really resonated with me. I feel that it is a subject that deserves more research and space in academic journals. One page is hardly enough to really make an impact on librarians. Step by step guides and anecdotes from other librarians could really have given this article some much needed context, as well as providing the reader with some real life inspiration. Besides that, it does get the conversation and mind going on issues such as diversity. I know that I started thinking about even more ways to approach it after reading this short blurb.