An area of need that has emerged from American libraries and the American publishing industry is the need for diverse books. Canadian libraries have a similar need, but does the American publishing industry reflect the unique minority populations found in Canada? Librarian Laina Kelly looked at the YA collection of a medium-sized library branch, analyzing the diverse content of each book, as well as author minority identities. This presentation builds on BookNet Canada’s report Demand for Diversity and reveals areas of diversity specific to Canadian populations that are needed in library collections. techforum.booknetcanada.ca #TechForum

1. Diversity
BenchmarkingImproving Diversity and Inclusion in Library Collections
Laina Kelly
Librarian, Library Development Services
Yellowhead Regional library

2. Introduction
▣ Laina Kelly (lkelly@yrl.ab.ca)
▣ Former teacher, current librarian
▣ Passionate about diversity in all areas, especially
collections
https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi/index

3. About YRL
▣ Spruce Grove, AB
▣ Provide regional library service to:
□ 44 public libraries
□ 43 school libraries across 3 divisions
▣ Services include:
□ Cataloguing
□ Ordering from vendors
□ IT support and hardware purchasing
□ Consulting and training

4. Regional Systems in AB

5. Overview
▣ Why perform a diversity benchmark?
▣ The process
▣ Evaluation sources
▣ Findings
▣ Recommendations
▣ Questions

6. Why?
Stories are powerful.

7. ‘’ Mirrors, Windows and
Sliding Glass Doors
- Rudine Sims Bishop, 1990

8. 1.
Mirrors
“Literature serves as a
mirror when we see some
facet of ourselves --
physical, cultural, or
emotional -- reflected
back.”
- Johnson, Koss, Martinez (2017)

9. 9

10. 2.
Windows
“When books function as
windows, readers see
people, experiences, or
worlds removed from their
own.”
- Johnson, Koss, Martinez (2017)

11. 11

12. 3.
Sliding Glass
Doors
“Books that serve as
sliding glass doors invite
readers to step through
and into an experience
that may change them.”
- Johnson, Koss, Martinez (2017)

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15
Of readers from underrepresented
backgrounds seek out books that
represent them
Were interested in reading books
by BIPOC
Actively seek out books about
diverse topics or experiences or
by diverse authors
Stated they would read more if
they could access more diverse
books
45%
46%
62%
31%

16. The Plan: Diversity Benchmark
1. Do the diverse books being published reflect
the U.S. rather than Canada?
2. What minority groups might we be missing?
3. How could our libraries improve?
4. How could I help libraries learn how to assess
their collections?

17. My Process
Conducting your own diversity benchmark

18. 1.
Hypothesize
My hypothesis:
The diversity in rural
collections reflects minority
groups prevalent in America
rather than Canada

19. 2.
Criteria
▣ Which collection will you
examine?
□ Young Adult
▣ What aspects of the books
will you examine?
□ Protagonists
□ Authors

20. #OwnVoices
▣ “Creators who belong to marginalized groups writing
about characters who are also part of that group”
▣ Challenges stereotypes brought about by poorly
written representation
▣ Brings sensitivity and authenticity to tough topics

21. My biggest teaching failure
Instead of this
Try these!

22. 3.
Define Diversity
What will you look for?
□ Visible minorities
□ Religious minorities
□ Disabled/differently abled
□ Gender minorities
□ Sexual minorities

23. 4.
Getting ready
▣ SimplyReports
□ Item list report
■ Barcode, ISBN, Title, author
▣ Excel spreadsheet
□ visible minorities
□ Indigenous people
□ religion
□ disabled/differently-abled
□ gender identity
□ sexual orientation

25. 5.
Tools
▣ Novelist
□ “Own Voices” tag
▣ Amazon
□ Customer comments
□ Reviews
▣ Google
□ Author websites
□ Twitter
□ Interviews

27. Evaluation
Examining and compare your findings

28. Town of Westlock
Images courtesy of tripadvisor.ca and townandcountrytoday.com

29. Resources Consulted
▣ Stats Canada
□ Municipal
□ Provincial
□ Federal
▣ Other Canada-wide research/census data
▣ International (U.S.) research/census data

30. Stats Canada - Census Profile
Key data:
● Population: 5101
● 27% of population is 65 and over.
● 80.7% of couples were married
and 19.3% were living common
law.
● Among families 59% were
without children and 41% were
families with children.
● Major industries: retail, health
care, accomodation and food
services

31. Focus on Geography: Aboriginal Peoples
● Metis people were the largest
group
● Large First Nations population
too
● Does not break down by band or
reserve
● Some information can be
gleaned by looking at
Indigenous languages spoken

32. Focus on Geography: Visible Minorities
Immigration and ethnocultural
diversity> Visible minority population
Largest visible minority populations
in Westlock (town):
1. Filipino
2. South Asian
3. Black
4. Chinese

33. Sexual Orientation
1.7% Canadians aged 18 to 59 who reported in 2014 that they consider
themselves to be homosexual (gay or lesbian).
1.3% Canadians aged 18 to 59 who reported in 2014 that they consider
themselves to be bisexual.
Sources: 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey and A Portrait of Canadian Youth - 2018 (Statistics Canada)
4-10%
Canadian youth who consider themselves either homosexual or
bisexual.
5
Same-sex couples living in Westlock at the time of the 2016 census.

34. Gender Identity
0.58%
Adult population in the United States
who identify as transgender

35. Disability
Mental health and learning disabilities are the most
common among youth.
13% Canadian youth with one or more disabilities
Source: Canadian Survey on Disability - 2017 (Statistics Canada)

36. Religion
Source: 2011 National Household Survey (Statistics Canada)
3.2% Muslim
1.4% Sikh
1.5% Hindu
1% Jewish
1.1% Buddhist
None
23.9%
Other - 0.4%
Sikh - 1.4%
Muslim -
3.2%
Jewish - 1%
Hindu - 1.5%
Christian
67.3%
Buddhist
1.1%

37. Findings
Comparing the collection and the
community

38. Indigenous People and Visible Minorities in Westlock
Source: Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census - Community
% of total
population
(grey), YA
collection
(red)

39. Population
Books
Visible Minorities
7.8%
FNMI
8.6%
White
83.6%
Visible Minorities
8.2%
FNMI
0.8%
White
91.1%

40. Indigenous People and Visible Minorities in Alberta
Source: Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census - Province of Alberta
% of total
population
(grey), YA
collection
(red)

41. Population
Books
Visible
Minorities
23.3%
FNMI
0.6%
White
76.0%
Visible
Minorities
8.2%
FNMI
0.8%
White
91.1%

42. Indigenous People and Visible Minorities in Canada
Source: Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census - Canada
% of total
population
(grey), YA
collection
(red)

43. Population
Books
White
74.1%
Visible Minorities
21.2%
FNMI
4.6%
Visible
Minorities
8.2%
FNMI
0.8%
White
91.1%

44. Sexual Orientation
BooksPopulation
Sources: 2014 Canadian Community Health Survey and A Portrait of Canadian Youth - 2018 (Statistics Canada)
Gay,
Lesbian,
Bisexual
10%
Gay
1.4%
Bisexual
0.49%
Lesbian
0.59%

45. Gender Identity
BooksPopulation
Source: How Many Adults Identify as Transgender in the United States? (The Williams Institute)
Transgender
/ Nonbinary
0.6%
Transgender
/ Nonbinary
0.7%
Cisgender
99.4%
Cisgender
99.3%

46. Disability
BooksPopulation
Source: Canadian Survey on Disability - 2017 (Statistics Canada)
Disability
13%
Disability
2.9%

47. Religion
BooksPopulation
Source: 2011 National Household Survey (Statistics Canada)
None
23.9%
Other - 0.4%
Sikh - 1.4%
Muslim -
3.2%
Jewish - 1%
Hindu -
1.5%
Buddhist
1.1%
Christian
67.3%
Christian
1.7%
Muslim
0.39%
Jewish
0.19%
Not specified
97.8%

48. Intersectionality
2
7 books
featured intersectional protagonists
Visible minority and religious minority
1
Indigenous and disability
4
Visible minority and LGBTQ

49. Own Voices
% of total
diverse books

50. Popularity and Demand

51. Recommendations

52. 1.
Indigenous
Protagonists
▣ More Indigenous representation
▣ Own Voices is extremely important

53. 2.
Disabled/
Differently-
Abled Protagonists
▣ More disabled/differently-abled
representation
▣ More Own Voices if possible

54. 3.
Visible Minorities
▣ More books with Black Canadian,
Filipino, Chinese and South Asian
protagonists
▣ Own Voices, Canadian perspective
if possible

55. 4.
Sexual minorities
▣ More books with Lesbian and
bisexual protagonists
▣ Own voices if possible

56. 5.
Intersectional
experiences
▣ Books featuring protagonists who
belong to more than one minority
group

57. 6.
Regular Progress
▣ Regular part of collection
development
▣ Conscious effort and commitment
▣ Move forward

58. Takeaways

59. 59
The books on your shelf make a statement
to your community

60. 60
Representation matters

61. 61
There is no maximum quota for diverse
books

62. 62
A well-rounded and diverse collection is a
continuous journey

63. Thanks!Thank you to the following colleagues and friends who, through conversation or direct
research help, assisted in formulating the guiding thoughts and methods behind this
presentation:
● Lisa Old, Director of Westlock
Municipal Library
● Dr. Keren Dali
● Angela Lieu
Any mistakes, errors or omissions in this presentation are mine alone.
● Lorisia McLeod
● Ngina Wa Kaai
● Karen Jensen
● Natasha Deen
● Nicole Hatton
● Young Alberta Book Society

64. Sources
Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), 9-11. Retrieved from https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf
Booknet Canada Research. (2019). Demand for Diversity: A survey of Canadian Readers. Retrieved from https://www.booknetcanada.ca/demand-for-diversity.
Flores, A.R, Herman, J.L, Gates, G.J, & Brown T.N. (2016). How many adults identify as transgender in the united states? Retrieved from https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Trans-Adults-US-Aug-2016.pdf
Huyck, D. and Dahlen, S.P., (2019 June 19). Diversity in Children’s Books 2018. sarahpark.com blog. Created in consultation with Edith Campbell, Molly Beth Griffin, K. T. Horning, Debbie Reese, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and
Madeline Tyner, with statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison: ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/pcstats.asp. Retrieved from
readingspark.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/picture-this-diversity-in-childrens-books-2018-infographic.
Jensen, K. (October 24, 2018). Library Journal’s Equity in Action: Doing a Diversity Audit. School Library Journal [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2018/10/library-journals-equity-in-action-doing-
a-diversity-audit/
Johnson, N.J., Koss, M.D., & Martinez, M. (2017). Through the sliding glass door: #EmpowerTheReader. The Reading Teacher, 71(5), 569-577. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1659
Statistics Canada. (2015). Same sex couples and sexual orientation … by the numbers. Retrieved from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/dai/smr08/2015/smr08_203_2015.
Statistics Canada. (2016). Canadian demographics at a glance: Section three: two-thirds of the population declare Christian as their religion. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-003-x/2014001/section03/33-
eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2017). Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census: Alberta - PR. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-404-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. Data products, 2016 Census. Retrieved from
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-pr-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=PR&GC=48&TOPIC=1
Statistics Canada. (2017). Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census: Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-404-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. Data products, 2016 Census. Retrieved from
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-can-eng.cfm?Lang=Eng&GK=CAN&GC=01&TOPIC=1
Statistics Canada. (2017). Focus on Geography Series, 2016 Census: Westlock (Town), Alberta. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-404-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. Data products, 2016 Census. Retrieved from
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK=CSD&GC=4813031&TOPIC=1
Statistics Canada. (2018). A portrait of Canadian Youth. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/11-631-x2018001-eng.htm
Statistics Canada. (2018). Canadian survey on disability, 2017. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/181128/dq181128a-eng.pdf