Sarah Park Dahlen pens column for American Libraries magazine

MLIS professor Sarah Park Dahlen, at the forefront of the We Need Diverse Books movement, commented in a Star Tribune story focused on the diverse winners of the 2018 ALA awards.

MLIS faculty Sarah Park Dahlen was published in the "On My Mind" column of American Libraries, flagship magazine of the . In "Diversify Everything," Dahlen discusses the pressing need for more comprehensive representation in literature, especially for young readers for whom seeing themselves reflected in writing is vital. You can read her column .

Dahlen is an assistant professor in the Master of Library and Information Science program. She co-edited with Jamie Campbell Naidoo, and is currently writing a book on Asian American youth literature with Paul Lai.

St. Kate's Library and Information Science


Photo of MLIS faculty member Sarah Park Dahlen, with the column title "On My Mind"and her byline. (Photo probably printed at the head of the column in American Libraries, flagship magazine of the American Library Association.)

"If our professions are mostly white, how should we best serve both very diverse and less diverse communities? All librarians, regardless of their community's demographics, must proactively collect and promote diverse books so that all readers have opportunities for mirror and window reading experiences. ... [T]his is also a groundwork we need to prevent white supremacy from becoming normalized."

— Sarah Park Dahlen, "Diversify Everything"