As I set out to write this month’s blog post, I found myself reflecting on how leadership can take many shapes and forms. Sometimes, we don’t even recognize that we’re leading, because we’re simply doing what we know is best for students, our school communities, and our libraries. This month, I want to explore leadership through the lens of collection development and how taking the lead in this area results in positive outcomes for everyone. Because, yep, great collection development – that’s leadership!
When I think about leadership and collection development, so many elements come to mind: curation, advocacy, best practices, reading culture, community needs, intellectual freedom, data collection, and collaboration, to name a few. My friend Beth Clarke exemplifies all of these and more. Beth is the Library Services Specialist at Lane Education Service District in Lane County, Oregon. She provides library services to districts that are small, rural, or unable to afford full-time staff.
Beth spends her days supporting and collaborating with library staff, helping them build collections that are inclusive, responsive, and aligned with both curriculum and student needs. She provides guidance, tools, and models professional leadership to support strategic, student-centered decision-making. In her role, Beth is truly a leader in collection development.
It’s Like Peanut Butter and Jelly
Leadership and collection development go hand in hand; like peanut butter and jelly, or a tomato and squishy bread sandwich in the summer. When we lead in collection development, we set the vision and direction for our libraries. We model best practices by making data-driven decisions about what belongs in our collections (and what doesn’t). We respond to community needs. Yep, that’s leadership!
As a strong believer in working smarter, not harder, I encourage you to take advantage of the tools available. While no tool is perfect, resources like Titlewave’s Diversity Analysis can help you begin analyzing your collection. OverDrive also offers a useful tool, and the Diverse BookFinder’s Collection Analysis Tool is another great option.
Looking at Beth’s work, it’s clear that she embodies all of these practices, even in geographically isolated school districts. She ensures that library collections reflect a wide spectrum of voices and cultures. The communities she serves rely on her expertise to build collections that highlight authentic voices and lived experiences. Beth often says her work ensures that libraries provide students both mirrors into their own identities and windows into the lives of others, paraphrasing Rudine Sims Bishop. She believes that every student deserves to see themselves reflected in the books on their library shelves, whether they are students of color, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, disabled, or part of another underrepresented community. Beth is a strong advocate for inclusive, dynamic collections and well-supported library programs.
Of course, we can’t talk about collection development leadership without talking about deselection. Ah, weeding! You either love it or hate it. I’ve decided there’s no in-between. Personally, I’m a big believer in letting go of things that no longer serve you. I even led my district’s weeding efforts to remove aged and damaged titles from the shelves, so much so that t-shirts were made that read, “Purge with Sturge.” I loved walking into a library and removing what was no longer needed.
Two Great Tips
In talking with Beth about how she approaches weeding, she shared that when she initially considers weeding a book, she read the author’s bio first. It’s surprising how many times (especially in older books) the author may use racially charged or problematic language. Even statements about how “mysterious” or “intriguing” other cultures can be, suggests the author may have exoticized those cultures. They may lack the insight or clarity to present the full, complex scope of a given culture. Her second tip is that after reading the author’s bio, she looks for problematic language in the index. Again, it can be mind blowing how often outdated language can be found in the index of a non-fiction title.
Taking the lead on weeding can be challenging. We’ve all encountered administrators or educators who struggle to see a book being removed, recycled, or discarded, no matter how outdated or worn. But being able to clearly articulate why books are being removed is leadership. Standing firm and resisting efforts to simply move those books to classroom closets or storage is not just leadership. It’s heroic. Yep, that’s leadership!
At the Heart of the Matter
I asked Beth to sum up how leadership and collection development intersect, and here’s what she said:
“At the heart of this work is a commitment to equity, intellectual freedom, and a vibrant reading culture. I use data, circulation stats, collection age, curriculum alignment, and school community feedback to guide my recommendations and model best practices in collection development. By encouraging the adoption of various formats such as graphic novels, audiobooks, and Braille materials, I help libraries stay relevant and engaging for all their readers. It’s a privilege to help reverse the national trend of library neglect and to champion the critical role school libraries play in student success.”
Those final thoughts: keeping libraries relevant and engaging for all readers, and recognizing that we have the privilege of creating spaces where students thrive are so important to remember.
When we, as school librarians, lead in collection development, we are not just building collections, we’re inspiring the next generation of readers as we exercise our leadership through the stacks.
Collection development – Yep, that’s leadership!
More about Beth Clarke. Beth says:
My professional path has been anything but linear. I worked in archeology and other scientific realms for nearly 20 years, in both the private and federal sector. From there, I moved on to being a licensed massage therapist for roughly nine years. Now, I’m delighted to find myself in my final role as a teacher-librarian. Throughout all those professions, the constant thread has been a love for learning, and a deep respect for the transformative power of libraries. I began working in education in 2015, initially working with students who speak something other than English at home. Three years later, I found my way to the school library, where I could combine my passion for equity, literacy, and student empowerment. After earning my Masters in Teaching, I joined Lane Education Service District as the Library Services Specialist. I recently completed my library endorsement from Antioch University, and now I serve as the librarian of record for 13 rural and high-poverty school districts across Lane County.
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