Building Inclusive STEM Collections: Books by BIPOC Authors (October 2022)

This essay first appeared in the October 2022 issue of Choice (volume 60 | issue 2).

Posted on November 10, 2022 in Bibliographic Essays

Introduction:

The call for libraries to diversify their collections has gained a new sense of urgency considering the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd. In response, library selectors are seeking books for their collections not just about diversity and inclusion as a topic, but that represent a diverse authorship within their field of selection. The authors of this essay include a science librarian, a biochemist working in a university chemistry department, and an astronomer. Working together, our team sought to establish a methodology to diversify our library’s collections in the sciences by gathering and reviewing recently published books written by BIPOC scientists. This bibliographic essay reports on the results of our effort and seeks to encourage other libraries and library staff who may pursue similar initiatives.

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About the Authors:

Hilary Dorsch Wong (MSLIS, Syracuse University) is Instructional Services Librarian and liaison to the sciences at State University of New York, Cortland.

Katherine A. Hicks (PhD, University of Michigan) is Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at SUNY, Cortland.

David Kornreich (PhD, Cornell University) is Professor of Physics at SUNY, Cortland.

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