The Necessity of Embracing Collection Gaps: Moving Towards Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Collecting

Kramer, R. (2024). The Necessity of Embracing Collection Gaps: Moving Towards Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Collecting. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, & Cultural Heritage, 25(1), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.5860/rbm.25.1.93

Submitted by Jocelyn A. Guevara

Summary: 

This article addresses issues with ongoing attempts to close collection gaps in libraries. They define collection gaps as a, “lack of materials in relation to a specific theme, event, or historical idea” (Kramer, 2024). Many institutions have created policies to address these collection gaps and diversify the items offered to patrons. However, the author points out that diversity is often misunderstood by librarians and the resulting attempts to diversify a collection can actually be misrepresentative of a group if done incorrectly. Specifically, libraries often address diversity by including items that highlight or focus on the lived trauma, and consequences of that trauma, of a group. Instead, librarians should seek to build collections that close the collection gap by including the various experiences and viewpoints of a group- not just their trauma. In instances where those items cannot be located, the author proposes that institutions should acknowledge the collection gap, and why it exists, instead of spending funding on acquisitions that only focus only on trauma. The article also goes over the value of welcoming underrepresented individuals into the library profession to help develop these multifaceted collections. 

Reflection:

During this course, we focused on community connection and collection development as a direct response to community needs. However, libraries are also a repository for the histories of so many people. As our communities become more diverse, and as our world shrinks, it’s important to make sure those experiences are not erased from the record. While this is generally agreed upon by librarians, it is a much more delicate task to actually create a collection that is considered reflective of a group. Like the article points out, many people tend to focus on large traumatic events, for example slavery in the U.S., but true diversity will also include the art, joy, achievements, and various voices of a group, moment, or concept. To exclude those in favor of trauma is another form of erasure, even if it is unintentionally done. While it is important to survey and connect with the community to provide relevant services, it is also important to create well-rounded collections that reflect the diversity of different groups as well. While I do not work in a library yet, this is a great lesson to carry with me for the future.