Will We Ever Learn?:

The Un-Enlightenment of Selector Librarians

Abstract

This critical case study aims to explore the influences on the collection development procedures and practices of selector librarians to incorporate authentic voices and representation. At the time of this publication, there was limited literature on the role academic librarians play in the attainment of authentic representations of culturally diverse and inclusive materials. Incorporating results from a national-level survey and 19 follow-up interviews, this study focuses on the major theme found: academic librarians are not being adequately trained in collection development during the pursuit of their accredited degrees. When viewed through a lens of critical whiteness studies (CWS), an argument can be made that academia and librarianship are entrenched in whiteness, which perpetuates the silencing of “others.”