Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.21900/j.alise.2025.1972

Publication Title

Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference

Pages

11 pp.

Conference Name

ALISE Annual Conference, October 6-8, 2025, Kansas City, MO

Abstract

Librarian professional standards include the development of collections with diverse representation, and the study of multicultural literature is often part of masters programs. However, there is a lack of scholarship examining what multicultural literature signifies for librarians. In addition, the current landscape surrounding libraries has jeopardized students’ access to literature, furthering a narrative that attempts to exclude specific identities and portrays librarians as irresponsible and harmful. This study aimed to build a foundation of understanding and critical insights into this problem through a survey distributed to Texas school librarians. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and content analysis to understand school librarian perspectives, assess practices, and gain insights to support the presence of multicultural literature. Rudine Sims Bishop’s metaphor of books as “mirrors and windows” was a foundation for this study. A theoretical lens informed by Critical Race Theory and Critical Information Literacy and an interpretivist approach were used to guide methods and analysis. Conclusions support a counter-narrative of school libraries related to diverse representation through four themes: librarians center students in practices and decision-making, they believe in the power of books, they compassionately curate the message they are sending students, and they know libraries can continue to improve in service to communities. 142 librarians contributed to the understanding that diverse representation in collections matters. It is recommended these librarians’ voices be considered in critically examining policies and develop equitable and just practices that explicitly show that libraries seek to include and affirm the identity and experiences of all students.

Rights

© 2025 Kim Reichenbach Krutka

The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License.

Original Publication Citation

Krutka, K. R. (2025). Looking into mirrors and windows: School librarians' perspectives on diverse representation in book collections [Meeting abstract]. Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2025.1972

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