When the opportunity to share about collection development came up, we both understood the urgency, timeliness, and impact of this multifaceted topic. We hope this issue will challenge you with new ideas and engage you with opportunities to view the process of collection development in some critically important and necessary ways. Now more than ever, school librarians need to make time to review collection development processes frequently and consider ways to update them to meet the diverse needs of all learners. The need for diverse and inclusive materials in our collections is important now more than ever and we hope this issue offers ways to carefully evaluate and update your collections to ensure that all learners in our communities are represented in the materials we offer.
The articles in the March/April 22 issue cover a variety of topics related to building and enhancing a school library collection. There are many nuances to children and young adult literature and we hope these articles will define and expand knowledge about these impactful forms of literature. The collection development process can be both daunting and rewarding and it is vastly different for every community served. With that in mind, we hope the information in all topic areas provided in this issue will be helpful for librarians in navigating any collection development hurdles you encounter.
About the content experts
Becky Calzada
Becky Calzada (she/her/hers) is the library services coordinator for the Leander Independent School District in Leander, Texas. She coauthored the 2021 Knowledge Quest blog post “Censorship in Texas: #FReadom Campaign Inception, Reflection, and Highlights” and the 2020 American Libraries article “Reset and Reconnect: Adapting and Advocating amid the Pandemic.” She is a member of AASL and serves as a Director-at-Large on the AASL Board of Directors.
Liz Philippi
Liz Philippi (she/her/hers) is the school program coordinator for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin, Texas. She was a Texas Association of School Librarians Councilor and is a participant in the TALL Texan Leadership Institute and a member of the Texas School Library Standards committee. Liz was a committee member for the TLA Conference Program and served as chair of the Texas Association of School Library Administrators. Liz is a member of AASL and was co-chair of the 2021 AASL National Conference Committee. She’s also a member of ALA and is an ALA Councilor-at-Large. She is serving on the ALA Sustainability Committee, the ALA Digital Content Working Group, the ALA Ken Haycock Award Committee, and ALA Ernie Dimattia Award Committee.
Knowledge Quest, Volume 50, No. 4 – Why Collection Development is Important
Features
Why Collection Development Is Important
Becky Calzada and Liz Philippi
Reflecting Our Students and Our World in Our School Library Collections
Casey Grenier and Lauren Lynn
LGBTQ+ Inclusive Collections: School Librarians Self-Reflections and Collection Development Guide
Rachel Altobelli and Nancy Jo Lambert
Collection Development Answers from the Field
Becky Calzada, Nicole Cruz, Jacob Gerding, Maegan Rose, and Suzanne Sanwald
A School Librarian’s Journey through Manga Collection Development
Jillian Rudes
Articles
My Journey Toward Equity-Minded School Librarianship
Kim R. Krutka
Stoking the Reading Flame with Personalized Book Baskets
Melissa Williams
Columns
Research into Practice
How School Librarians Can Partner with K-12 School District Leadership to Support School Libraries
Melanie Lewis Croft
CBC Column
Representation Matters
Chris Singleton
Departments
President’s Column
Discernment and Censorship—The Collection Development Conundrum
Jennisen Lucas
KQ Editorial Board Liaison Column
Back to Basics on Collection Development
Jennifer Sturge
Author: Becky Calzada & Liz Philippi
Categories: Collection Development, KQ Content
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