The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults

One of many important objectives for teen services librarians is to develop a relevant and current collection of materials. This collection should be representative of the community in which the library resides and the teens in that community. It is important for teens to be able to see themselves in books as both characters and writers. The writing of this paper was triggered by a group of teens advocating for more books (covers specifically) in their collection reflecting the vast diversity of the town in which they live. This paper contains results of a survey of 6,785 teen fiction book covers, across six different libraries and two bookstores in metro Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. Correlations drawn using the collected data reveal that the current state of books in both libraries and bookstores is lacking when it comes to racially diverse covers. This data can be used to further the discussion already under way concerning the need for more racially diverse teen books and the responsibility of teen service librarians to advocate for change. Introduction and Research Questions The focus of this study is diversity on teen book covers (meaning books marketed or geared toward teens, usually ages 12–18). The reasoning behind this study lies in some honest feedback from a group of teens who regularly attend programs at the Randolph Turner Free Library (Massachusetts), where about 40% of the slightly over 32,000 residents are African American. When asked how to improve the teen collection, the resounding response was “more books with black people on the cover[s].” After assuring the teens that they have a right to access to books with cover art featuring relatable characters, I sat down to buy some new books. Although there was some older fiction and some titles labeled “urban” fiction available, it was difficult finding many books with diverse characters on the cover. As a twenty-something, white, female librarian, I wondered if this issue could be widespread and possibly caused by general unavailability of books representing diverse teens on their covers. Based on my own experiences, I suspected that white character representations graced the covers of a majority of teen books, but I couldn’t find research to support or negate my suspicion.