Collection Management for Youth: Equity, Inclusion, and Learning

Review
"Most would agree that a modern collection development policy needs to address issues of diversity. Hughes-Hassell takes this further and has created a fully formed description of what this should look like ... This book does not stand alone, but should be used to reform the existing tools of collection development for libraries which represent youth in the community. The attitudes and biases which are sometimes ignored by existing tools can be challenged with a framework such as this which creates a strategy to move forward and represent all voices of the young community equitably." ― Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association
With a renewed emphasis on facilitating learning, supporting multiple literacies, and advancing equity and inclusion, the thoroughly updated and revised second edition of this trusted text provides models and tools that will enable library staff who serve youth to create and maintain collections that provide equitable access to all youth. And as Hughes-Hassell demonstrates, the only way to do this is for collection managers to be learner-centered, confidently acting as information guides, change agents, and leaders. Based on the latest educational theory and research, this book presents the argument for why collection management decisions and practices should focus on equity, exploring systemic inequities, educational paradigm shifts, developments in the information environment, and other key factors; lays out the theoretical foundation for developing and managing a library collection that facilitates learning, supports the development of multiple literacies, and provides equitable access to an increasingly diverse group of young learners; touches upon current competencies and standards by AASL, YALSA, and ALSC; uses a learner-centered and equity perspective to cover core issues and criteria such as selection and removal of materials, budgeting, and cooperation among libraries; shows how a business viewpoint can assist the learner-centered collector in articulating the central significance of the collection to learning; discusses how library staff can work collaboratively to create policy and negotiate budgets; and includes customizable tools and templates, including a Stakeholder Contact/SWOT Analysis, Decision-Making Model for Selecting Resources and Access Points that Support Learning and Advance Equity, and Collection Development Analysis Worksheet.
This resource will be as useful to current school librarians and supervisors, youth librarians in public libraries, and educators as it will to LIS students.