Creating and Building Effective Multilingual Library Collections

Shabeena Mathiruban

Hill, J. (2018). Building for Diversity: How Public Libraries Can Create Great  Multilingual Collections. Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management, 14. https://doi.org/10.5931/djim.v14i0.7854

This article discusses how to build multilingual collections in public libraries through community consultations, collaborating with other libraries, working with vendors, cataloging and maintaining the collection, marketing, and providing staff training. When creating a multilingual collection, the first step is understanding the demographics of the community which can be obtained from community data found online or from your own research. Next, to understand the needs and interests of the community, libraries can do community consultations with library patrons. Librarians can do studies with patrons through paper surveys or observations to obtain this crucial information. They also need to determine how broad they want to create their multilingual collection by looking at the demographic data, as communities with large immigrant populations may need a more comprehensive multilingual collection. Moreover, hiring bilingual staff that can communicate with library patrons in their non-English language is beneficial. Overall, this article provides numerous ways libraries can create an effective multilingual collection for patrons to meet their information needs.  

From the article, I liked the idea of doing community consultations to understand the needs and interests of multilingual library patrons. The library system I work at primarily uses demographic data to determine which languages to include in their multilingual collections, however community consultations are usually not conducted. I have seen many multilingual books that are not circulating at my library and have been discarded, because they do not meet the interests of the patrons. I think community consultations can be very beneficial in creating a relevant collection that meets the needs and interests of diverse communities. Moroever, I liked that this article mentions the importance of hiring bilingual library staff as this greatly assists patrons with language barriers. 

Strong school libraries help give California students the best chance to succeed.

 A Ph.D. dissertation by Doug Achterman written in 2008, titled "Haves, Halves, and Have-Nots: School Libraries and Student Achievement in California" discusses the strength of the relationship between California school library media programs and student achievement. Doug Achterman, used data from California criterion-referenced state-wide tests, publicly available school and community demographic data, and a state survey of school library programs to determine the fact that there is a benefit in having school library media programs and increased student achievement. The results of the study indicate a substantial discrepancy in library staffing levels from the elementary grades through the high schools. 

Basically, a study found that when there was a certificated librarian teaching students and assisted them their academic achievement increased. The report stated that when there was a librarian that was classified the students didn't show as great of achievement if there was a certified librarian. 

This report is interesting to me because before being the Certified Librarian at my school I was a Certified Elementary Teacher. In order for me to stay in the role of the teacher librarian I have to have my teacher librarian credential. I do believe that someone who is classified can do a good job as a librarian, however after being almost done with my teacher librarian credential I know that being a certified librarian will hope students that much more. 

Dissertation: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9800/

Latin American Collections Concepts

Williams, & Krentz, J. L. (Eds.) (2019). Latin American Collection Concepts: Essays on Libraries, Collaborations and New Approaches. McFarland & Company, Inc.

Jana Krentz and Gayle William’s edited volume showcases some of the specific trends, themes, and challenges that shape the work of librarians collecting materials from Latin America and about topics in Latin American Studies. The volume grew out of conversations facilitated by the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM) meetings and aims to share models of collecting and collaboration that can be applied both within and beyond Latin American collection work. Krentz and William’s introduction notes that while the group “acknowledged that within their respective institutions, their work may be viewed as anachronistic and out of step when viewed against academic library practices bent on streamlining collection development practices,” it can also be “ground-breaking” and that their work has been “used as models for other branches of information sciences, especially other area studies disciplines" (p. 1). 

One through-line of the individual chapters is how geopolitical changes after the Second World War, particularly increased interest in and funding for area studies during the Cold War period, shaped the growth of Latin American collections across several decades. Multiple chapters discuss some of the challenges and legacies of the 1942 Farmington Plan for collaborative collection development as well as some of the agreements that preceded this plan and shaped its implementation. Several chapters discuss changes in Latin American publishing industries, particularly the role that eBooks have (or have not yet) played. Additional chapters focus on collection development for specific kinds of collections, for example music or legal materials.

This volume is indispensable not only for librarians building Latin American collections but also librarians initiating collaborations with colleagues at other academic institutions and those building collections in area studies with a strong print materials focus. Given that it was published a year before the beginning of the 2020 pandemic – and the significant changes in publishing and collections practices that it produced – the editors’ and contributors’ ongoing reflections and analysis would further add to scholarship on collections development.

Building a Reading Culture

Building a Reading Culture on K-12 Campuses 

Jordan Mattox 

Merga and Mason (2019) review data from a group of the thirty schools in Western Australia to draw some modest conclusions about how to build a reading culture on these campuses. The data are interviews with teacher librarians describing how they have attempted to build reading cultures on their campuses. While the research finds a variety of factors integral to the construction of a reading culture, the paramount among them is administrative support, in particular in gathering support from the various stakeholders across the campuses, including but not limited to teachers, support staff, parents, and the broader community.

The article provides valuable insights in helping teacher librarians with the tools needed to develop their own reading cultures on campus. The qualitative data show the key links between administrative support and the success of the campaigns to enhance the culture on a campus. Some of the limitations are the lack of quantitative data to best evaluate the efficacy of the teacher librarians that identified success and the culture limitations of applying practice in a particular context to teacher librarians in other contexts.

Merga, & Mason, S. (2019). Building a school reading culture : Teacher librarians’ perceptions of enabling and constraining factors. The Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944119844544

Exploring an Indigenous Nations Library Program

Kevin Brown (2017) The Role of an Indigenous Nations Library Program and the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledge, Collection Management, 42:3-4, 196-207, DOI: 10.1080/01462679.2017.1367342


This article discussed New Mexico University’s “Indigenous Nations Library Program” and the process it took to become successful which included “contextual information literacy, collection development, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive research.” (2017) It begins with a close examination of what “Indigenous Librarianship” looks like and how it is defined by Indigenous scholars. One key definition described it “as the provision of library services by and to patrons who are members of the same Indigenous group, in libraries whose purpose is primarily to acquire, provide, and perpetuate that group’s knowledge in ways it deems appropriate”



One consideration at the forefront of building an Indigenous Library Program or an ideal Indigenous Collection is recognizing the ways that Western values pervade all aspects of librarianship: selection, finding tools, and especially validity. Brown’s article discussed how Western knowledge places a higher value on certain forms of information, such as writing over oral narratives or images. He mentions that the Library of Congress has been altering the way they classify Indigenous works to be more inclusive and respectful to the communities and narratives .Brown points out that “According to Duarte and Belarde-Lewis (2015) the text over oral narrative supremacy is a clear signal that colonialism is still ongoing: ‘What makes Western-text based systems so visible and, therefore, apparently superior to oral, kinesthetic, aesthetic, and communal Indigenous ways of knowing—quipu, ceremonies, dances, songs, oral histories, oratory, stories, hunting and growing practices, healing arts, weaving, painting, pottery, carving, dreaming, and vision work—are the institutions through which Western text-based systems are legitimated.’”



Brown states that “because INLP librarians are Indigenous librarians, they are adept at quickly recognizing the scholarship history from various disciplines, contextualizing information through intellectual politics and its academic legacy upon Indigenous people and communities (Becvar and Srinvisan 2009).”



This article really explored the way this program at the University of New Mexico is an excellent blueprint for serving Indigenous communities in a library. It was fascinating to think about how to translate some of the principles used in the INLP program into building effective and accessible Indigenous Collections in libraries.

Where are the children in children’s collections? An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns surrounding children’s participation in collection development.

Aggleton, J. (2018). Where are the children in children’s collections? An exploration of ethical principles and practical concerns surrounding children’s participation in collection development. New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 24(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614541.2018.1429122

Hi Everyone, 

This article was incredibly thought provoking as it discusses the idea of involving children in the development of children collections within school, public, academic libraries and archives. The author goes on to state that they are not looking to give complete authority to children on what to select, but instead would like for them to be more involved in the selection process. The example given is how a library in Cambridgeshire buys a small amount of children’s books that kids read and provide a review for. Based on this review, they choose whether to add the book to the collection or discard it. The reason why the author believes that it is important for children to have a say in these collections is because these books impact children's culture and their growth. It is believed that if only adults select books, some of the decisions in the selection process can derive from biases or trying to push their own beliefs onto kids. Therefore, if adults and children work together in the selection process, the librarian can add books that children will enjoy and will also positively impact them. 

One thing that I found very interesting was that the author encourages the idea of children and librarians working in unison within school, public libraries, and archives. The only place where they don’t fully encourage this is within academic libraries, the argument being that, within these spaces, children’s literature is mostly targeted to the students and adults within the institution and not directly impacting kids. Instead, it is mostly being utilized for assignments and analysis. Overall, an engaging read that discusses the freedom for kids to choose what they want to read within libraries.

-Scarlet Prieto-Hernandez

The Importance of Diversity in Library Programs and Material Collections for Children

Zubkov, Angelina

Hughes-Hassell, S. (2017, December 20). The importance of diversity in library programs and material collections for children. Equitable Inclusive Libraries for Youth. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://inclusivelibraries.web.unc.edu/2017/12/the-importance-of-diversity-in-library-programs-and-material-collections-for-children/

From this article, I learned that one place where children can interact with stories on a regular basis is the library. Through its materials, collections, and programs, the library introduces children to many stories, starting at a very young age. This paper emphasizes the importance of developing print and digital library collections that reflect cultural diversity, and details how librarians can promote cultural understanding through library programs that embody the diversity of their communities and the large world. After reading this paper, I learned that stories reflecting diversity should be routinely included in library programs throughout the year and represented in print and digital material collections and displays. 

I found this article to be important and interesting since it addressed access to a diverse collection from an early age. Early education that promotes cultural understanding can influence the foundational outlook of an entire generation and change the course of how society approaches diversity, equity, and inclusion.