BIPOC Collection Development

 Corrinne Abbott

266 Fall 2020

BIPOC Collection Development

Elrod, R., & Kester, B. (2020). Diverse BookFinder: BIPOC collection development for children’s and young adult collections. College & Research Libraries News, 81(10), 481–485. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.5860/crln.81.10.481

    The University of Florida's Education Library listened to feedback and sought to increase their Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) collection. The Diverse BookFinder tool designed by researchers at Bates College was the only tool that provided data on who (race/ethnicity) is depicted but also how (context of representation). They use nine categories to describe "dominant messages conveyed": 1. Any Child; 2. Beautiful Life; 3. Biography; 4. Cross Group; 5. Folklore; 6. Incidental; 7. Informational; 8. Oppression & Resilience; 9. Race/Culture Concepts. The Collection Analysis tool helps develop a deeper understanding of the current collection and reports which gaps the collection needs to develop.

Pros:

1. The Diverse BookFinder contains other categories as well as BIPOC, including: disability, diverse family, economic struggle, LGBQ, STEM, gender, religion ; 2. As of Summer 2020, DBF is adding more titles (picture books, middle school, and YA) ; 3. Free and seemingly easy to use.

Cons:

1. Currently, the DBF only includes 3,210 titles (since 2002). (If the grant is no longer funded, the collection might cease to get updated) ; 2. The titles are not included in the analysis ; 3. No information available on intersection of topics in metadata.