Active Collections, Passive Collecting: Revitalizing Library Displays to Diversify Collections & Increase Student Engagement

After a year of limited outreach and collection development activities due to COVID, staff and librarians at one university revitalized their library displays to both address gaps in the collection and increase student engagement with monographs. By activating the collection through monthly themed displays, librarians have increased holdings related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, thus improving representation on the shelves. Participants will discover how active displays that incorporate both academic and recreational holdings can serve a dual purpose as collection development and outreach activities, making the most of limited funds for monograph acquisitions. Attendees from academic and public libraries should come away from the session with new collaborative strategies on how to create, develop, and display their collection in a way that not only engages their patrons but also meets both the academic and recreational reading needs of their communities.