Inclusion as the Norm: The Power of Diverse Book Displays via Lila Denning in RUSQ

Today I am sharing a post from Lila Denning's blog, Passively Recommending Books. Her article in RUSQ, a journal of Reference and User Experience is now live.

In her article, Denning talks frankly about why making all of your book displays as inclusive as possible is  not just about doing the right thing, it is literally your job to showcase as much of the collection as possible. She explains it in language that makes sense from every angle. You can argue this from an antiracist standpoint and an economic standpoint (getting the most checkouts of the most books which you have used taxpayer money on). And more.

And for those who are still making excuses that they cannot do this, a reminder,  Denning works in Florida and has put everything she talks about into action. So, if she can do it, what's your excuse.

(I have answers to that question but they are not kind to those of you who aren't doing this work yet, so I will leave them off this post.)

Click on this link or read below to access her blog post with access to the article. This is the argument you need to make your displays as inclusive as possible every single time (not just during heritage months).

RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience - Inclusion as the Norm: The Power of Diverse Book Displays

I was fortunate to have an article published in RUSQ. The Reference and User Services Association of ALA relaunched its journal in 2024. It's purpose is "... to disseminate information of interest to reference librarians, information specialists, and other professionals involved in user-oriented library services." In Vol 61, No 2 (2026) Winter Issue you can find my article "Inclusion as the Norm: The Power of Diverse Book Displays."

A pdf of the article is available online. 

I will quote from one paragraph here: 

" It centers a white, straight, Christian perspective as what is in “normal” books while making diverse books more of a niche interest, to be read by members of those communities and on special months. These books are not interesting or valuable because their authors and characters are diverse.  They need to be added to the displays, lists, and suggestions that are made to readers interested in a particular genre or topic. Moving who is centered in the culture of reading that is created in a library, allowing those who are marginalized to take center stage, even if a sign does not declare their identity, is actively promoting a culture of anti-racism. This active promotion does not require signage identifying the author’s characteristics to be actively anti-racist. These books are books that should be treated as titles to be potentially enjoyed by any reader. Deliberately developing a regular practice of adding diverse titles to all displays and lists both increase staff knowledge of those titles, creating more opportunities for them to be included in staff recommendations."

You can click here to head over to Denning's blog on your own or click on this link to access her article directly.