Weeding for Diversity  

In summer 2017, Jennifer Sturge took part in the Lilead Fellowship Summer Institute. Participants were challenged to find their why—their core mission as a school librarian. Sturge’s is: “All students have the right to an excellent school library program to explore, learn, and ignite their passion for learning.”

When she returned to her district, she surveyed her colleagues about their whys. One shared realization was the need for diversified collections that reflect the student population. “I want them to see themselves in our collection,” she says.

She worked closely with Sandy Walker, the district’s equity and diversity supervisor, “to recognize where our collections were lacking, where they could be built up, and our own implicit bias in our collection development practices.” She visited each school to weed. Each librarian was allowed to take back just five books.

“We’ve been able to get funding to replace what was weeded,” explains Sturge. The books were replaced with more diverse titles by Own Voices authors. As a result, “the collections are…better suited to the needs of our students. Our circulation has certainly gone up,” she says, proof that students have responded to the changes. The project also led to a revision of the curriculum, which now integrates the National School Library Standards (NSLS) with the Teaching Tolerance Social Justice Standards in every grade.

Next, Sturge, a newly minted EdD, wants to bring her dissertation thesis into the libraries: equity of voice for LGBTQ+ students. “I think that will be my focus for the next few years—ensuring our spaces are safe, open, and accessible.”