Curating Community Collections

March 1, 2024

Schreiber (collection development specialist, Cuyahoga County PL; Partnering with Parents) and Bartlett (collection development and acquisitions manager, Cuyahoga County PL; Floating Collections) offer a comprehensive guide to fostering inclusive collections that promote cultural competency and are tailored to individual communities' interests, values, and needs. This hands-on toolkit provides robust information on best practices for conducting diversity audits, establishing and executing selection guidelines, and implementing equity-based deselection processes. At the heart of this book is a discussion of community collections and satellite community collections-- intentional, nuanced collections that feature high-interest, engaging, and pertinent materials. The authors discuss how to create and monitor these collections, including tried-and-true approaches for curating world-languages collections. Each chapter includes a "Perspectives from the Field" section, which features advice, lessons learned, and viewpoints from information professionals working in a variety of libraries. The chapters are rounded out with a "CCC Toolbox" that contains suggestions for further reading and next steps. VERDICT This excellent guide, featuring a mix of hands-on information, time-tested advice, and insight into the hows and whys of creating inclusive collections, is an indispensable resource. Perfect for collection development librarians, school librarians and teachers, and seasoned and early-career librarians.--Sarah Hashimoto

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2024

A book to support librarians in every field. This outstanding work should be required reading for every LIS student, and seasoned librarians will find valuable insights within its pages. The authors provide great practical resources as well as the background and theory that guided the work. Notably, every chapter ends with interviews from librarians from different types of libraries, so that every topic includes perspectives from the different branches of librarianship. The ten chapters are organized into two parts. The first is focused on curating diverse collections. Chapters in this section include the history of how privilege circulates unseen in libraries, both historically and to this day. The next few chapters provide clear, step-by-step instructions, including resources, for diversity audits, collection development, and weeding. The second part is where it is evident that the authors sought to upend the way readers think about collection development, focusing on community. This part addresses specific communities, satellite collections, innovative ways to engage communities, sharing success with stakeholders, and addressing broader cultural considerations. The book ends with a chapter that considers the recent uptick in material challenges. This work is a great balance between theory and practical steps to make changes in library collections. As the authors state, libraries are uniquely positioned to make positive change in communities, and this work will support that, pushing diversity into recognition, celebration, and advocacy. VERDICT Highly recommended. This outstanding work has offerings in both theory and practice and is an excellent resource for both LIS students and experienced librarians.-Christina Salazar

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.