Selecting While White: Breaking Out of the Vendor Box

Dager, Katey

Couillard-Smith, Chelsea. (2017, October 3). Selecting While White: Breaking Out of the Vendor Box. Retrieved from http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com/2017/10/selecting-while-white-breaking-out-of.html

Reading While White is a blog about diversity and inclusion in children's and YA literature. This post is emblematic of the site, since it is by a white librarian who wants to ensure that her collection is as racially inclusive as possible. As she addresses, there is not a lot of diversity in the traditional publishing world. Her suggestions are to advocate for diverse books, ask more of your vendors, and consider purchasing from small presses, independent authors, and local booksellers. Even amazon can be a source for great self-published authors that are not carried by major vendors.

I think this is a really important topic to cover. It is well-known that major publishers don't have enough diversity, but I think many people wouldn't consider going down these routes to get better representation in their collection. Independent authors and small presses are not going to be carried by large vendors, but they can be a valuable addition to a collection, and I think librarians should look into these options whenever they can.