Podcast Summary: New Books Network — Karen Kohn, "Assessing Academic Library Collections for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion"
Host: Michael Lamagna
Guest: Karen Kohn
Episode Date: March 8, 2026
Topic: A deep-dive into Karen Kohn's book, Assessing Academic Library Collections for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Bloomsbury, 2025), exploring actionable strategies and philosophical underpinnings for conducting DEI audits in academic libraries.

Episode Overview

The episode explores the central question of how academic libraries can assess and develop their collections with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Host Michael Lamagna interviews Karen Kohn, Collection Analysis Librarian at Temple University, about her new book, which provides a practical guide for library professionals navigating the complexities of DEI audits. The conversation highlights definitions, motivations, best practices, and real-world challenges associated with evaluating and enhancing library collections for representation and inclusion.

Guest Introduction & Background [00:43–05:51]

• Karen’s Journey
  • Began in academic libraries >20 years ago, with various roles in collection development and reference at institutions in and around Philadelphia.
  • Notable for a data-focused approach and unexpected career opportunities that others saw in her before she saw in herself.
  • Authored a previous book on collection evaluation in 2015, teaching related courses since 2020.
• Road to DEI Assessment
  • Involved in Temple University’s DEI and Collections Committee from 2021, initially focused more on actions than assessment.
  • Spurred to explore DEI audits by student questions in her collection analysis class and collaborations with colleagues like Emily Hopkins.
  • Community efforts included open calls, surveys, and resource-sharing platforms to build a practice-based network.

Quote:
“Throughout my career, I think there have been things that it didn’t necessarily occur to me that I could do or that seemed like a stretch, but it occurred to somebody else, which has been really fortunate for me.” — Karen Kohn [03:24]

Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Library Collections [10:55–17:11]

• Diversity: Traditionally encompassed difference itself. Now, more specifically applies to marginalized or underrepresented identity groups in libraries.
• Equity: Focuses on systems and structures that have led to exclusion—moving beyond mere difference to addressing systemic barriers.
• Inclusion: Involves authentically involving and considering marginalized voices in all levels—from book selection to student involvement.
• Why It Matters: Supports curricula, helps students see themselves reflected, and exposes all users to different perspectives. Motivations for assessment may impact methodologies.

Quote:
“When we talk about diversity, that usually we do mean diversity in terms of identity categories that are underrepresented or marginalized, not just difference.” — Karen Kohn [13:01]

Memorable Moment:
On buying from Black-owned bookstores as an inclusion practice:
“We feel like at least the people who own this bookstore are choosing which books they want to highlight…and that is a way for us to include the voices of Black people or other people of color in our selection.” — Karen Kohn [15:48]

Navigating Political Climate & Institutional Challenges [22:17–26:11]

• Regional Pressures: Recognition that certain states or institutions may face political pushback against DEI initiatives. One case study from Florida acknowledges increased difficulty.
• Framing External Communications: Suggests aligning DEI work with curriculum support or ‘preparing students for a global workforce’ as less controversial rationales.
• Visibility vs. Safety: Balancing the need to advertise DEI initiatives (for student belonging) with institutional constraints.
• Practical Advice: Projects can sometimes proceed "under the radar," though lack of publicity reduces impact.

Quote:
“We often talk about how we feel like part of doing the work is advertising that we’re doing it...especially for that belonging aspect.” — Karen Kohn [24:30]

Planning a DEI Audit: Components and Key Steps [26:55–32:39]

• Core Elements:

  • Clarify motivation (justice, curriculum support, reflecting student body, etc).
  • Define scope (subject area vs. broad, single vs. multiple identities).
  • Choose method (see section below).
  • Assess resources (number of staff, available time, repeatability).

• Project Examples:

  • Large-scale assessments with staff and interns vs. “solo audits” with a narrowly tailored scope.
  • Frequency & repeatability: Simpler, repeatable methods may be preferable for ongoing progress tracking.

• Decision Interdependence:
  “There’s thinking about your motivation, there’s the scope of the project, there’s choosing a method…they’re very connected.” — Karen Kohn [27:19]

Lenses for Assessing Collection Diversity [33:01–41:53]

• Subject Matter: What topics or identity groups are covered? Easiest to assess using existing catalog data.
• Authorship: Who is writing the books? More complicated, requiring careful, respectful approaches and transparency about limitations (e.g., “unmarked” identities).
• Institutional Efforts: Evaluating not just what’s on the shelves, but what actions, policies, and professional development support DEI goals.

Quote:
“Having a minority identity inherently affects your perspective on the world…so I think that just getting perspectives of authors of varied identities…we also are assuming that it’s going to affect students’ ability to either feel that they belong in the academy or see themselves reflected in the collection.” — Karen Kohn [36:36]

Methods for DEI Collection Assessment [41:58–54:34]

1. Authoritative Lists (“List Checking”) [42:22–45:11]

• Compare collection holdings to vetted lists (e.g., award winners, resources for college libraries).
• Pros: Actionable, can quickly identify gaps, easy to repeat if lists are updated.
• Cons: May set a higher bar for certain groups, lists may be limited in size or scope.

2. Metadata Searching [45:11–47:54]

• Use catalog subject headings, keywords, or classification to quantify topics/identities represented.
• Pros: Scalable to any collection size, easily repeatable, good for statistical comparisons.
• Cons: Quality/content of books not assessed; may include outdated/offensive materials.

3. Diversity Coding (“Book Inspection”) [48:00–51:15]

• Sample books and record detailed data about author and/or subject identity categories.
• Pros: Most nuanced and flexible; allows “intersectional” analysis.
• Cons: Labor intensive; only feasible using sampling at large libraries.

Quote:
“If it takes you more than 10 minutes to figure out that this person is in a same-sex relationship, does it really count to your students as representation? No, they’re not going to spend more than 10 minutes trying to figure that out.” — Karen Kohn [50:22]

Benchmarking, Progress, and Targets [51:15–55:10]

• Institutional Benchmarking: Comparing with other libraries may be misleading; instead, compare to past performance to demonstrate progress and impact.
• Target Ambiguity: No consensus on ideal “percentage” of representative books; using the student body as a benchmark often doesn’t make sense, depending on library mission.
• Positive Impact Example:
  “The fact that we were measuring this made us think about it more. And that changed our purchasing, which I thought was really cool…” — Karen Kohn [54:01]

Future Directions & Closing [55:10–56:51]

• Karen’s Current Work: Has shifted into systematic review services (helping researchers develop comprehensive search terms for literature reviews), drawing on skills honed through DEI assessment methodologies.
• Skills Transfer: Analytical, evaluative, and metadata competencies continue to play a role across different library services.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Everyone feels like they should be doing something and they don’t know what to do.” [09:05]
• “I do want to specify that when we talk about diversity, that usually we do mean diversity in terms of identity categories that are underrepresented or marginalized, not just difference.” [13:01]
• “It just is a very surface-level understanding of what you have…but…I think it is the least used.” — on metadata searching [47:50]
• “The fact that we were measuring this made us think about it more, and that changed our purchasing…” [54:01]

Episode Takeaways

• DEI assessment in academic libraries is complex but addressable using practical frameworks and methods.
• Define your “why” and let it guide method, scope, and resource allocation.
• Ethical and practical considerations are intertwined—respect, context, and community engagement amplify results.
• Benchmark progress against your library’s own history rather than arbitrary external targets.
• Visibility matters: Advertise DEI work when possible, but navigate political realities thoughtfully.

For deeper guidance, case studies, and practical tools, consult Karen Kohn’s book, which features detailed methodologies and guest chapters from practitioners in the field.