Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Preliminary Study Interrogating The Cataloging And Classification Schemes Of A K-12 Book Discovery Platform Through A Critical Race Theory Lens, Kafi D. Kumasi, Cynthia Jimes, Amee Evans Godwin, Lisa A. Petrides, Anastasia Karaglani

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

This article presents the results of a preliminary study to examine the cataloging and classification schemes and ideological factors that play out in book discovery platforms for children’s and young adult books. Using Critical Race Theory and a Rapid Contextual Design approach to exploring the curatorial behaviors of school librarians when searching for diverse books, the study offers design ideas for retooling discovery platforms in ways that bridge the cultural disconnect that young adults from historically marginalized racial backgrounds experience in their libraries. The article concludes that in order for school librarians to find, recommend and teach about books that …