Uncovering Whiteness in Academic Library Collections: a Study of Author Identities in Journalism Monographs

Abstract

Academic library collections have traditionally prioritized and valued white voices, resulting in a lack of representation of authors who have marginalized racial, ethnic, and gender identities. Diversity audits can make the whiteness of collections visible and inform collection development practices that prioritize the work of marginalized scholars to make libraries more inclusive spaces for patrons, workers, students, and scholars. In a diversity audit of author racial, ethnic, and gender identities in an academic library’s journalism monograph collection, the results show that the collection overwhelmingly reflects authors who are white men. Collection development librarians can increase the diversity of authors in their collections by creating a protocol for identifying, purchasing, and marketing works by marginalized authors.