Serving Hispanic, Latine, and Latinx Students in Academic Libraries. Isabel Soto-Luna and Sommer Browning (eds.), Litwin Books, 2023. 304pp. Paperback, $60.00 (978-1-63400-137-3)

Serving Hispanic, Latine, and Latinx Students in Academic Libraries addresses a persistent gap in library and information science (LIS) literature: the lack of sustained, practical attention to the experiences and needs of Latine students in academic libraries. While case studies and institutional initiatives exist, this edited volume offers a practice-oriented collection of strategies across multiple areas of librarianship. It is a timely and valuable contribution to a field that is grappling with issues of equity, representation, and cultural responsiveness.

The book is organized into four areas: Foundations; Decolonizing Information Literacy; Establishing and Growing Representative Collections; and Archives, Research, and Heritage. Many chapters begin with a positionality statement in which authors reflect on their personal and professional identities. These reflections increase transparency and credibility while modeling reflective practice for readers. Rather than treating identity as incidental, the authors emphasize it as central to how library work is understood and delivered.

While the volume does not directly address frameworks such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) or Community Cultural Wealth (CCW), many chapters draw on these traditions. For example, several authors highlight asset-based engagement, an approach rooted in CCW that recognizes the knowledge, language, and cultural capital students bring to campus. Others challenge the myth of cultural neutrality in library services, aligning with CRT’s critique of “colorblind” institutions that often conceal exclusion behind the guise of neutrality. These theoretical touchpoints ground the first section, which situates the work within its historical and sociocultural context.

In the opening chapter, Soto-Luna underscores that while the designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) can provide significant benefits when used as intended—to expand services, education, and opportunities for Hispanic students—many institutions stop at the designation itself. The author notes that campuses that fail to implement meaningful systems of support are described by some as “Hispanic Enrolling” rather than truly Hispanic-Serving, highlighting the gap between the designation and meaningful institutional transformation.

Fullmer and Fiedler turn attention to the profession itself, emphasizing the responsibility of librarians to act now. They acknowledge that student demographics are beyond librarians’ control, but stress that “they do, however, have the opportunity and responsibility to respectfully learn about, actively invite, and continually welcome and celebrate their Latinx students” (p 46). Their reminder of accountability is especially significant given that demographic shifts in the profession will take decades. With Latinx librarians still underrepresented, the profession cannot afford to wait for demographics to change before taking action. Contributors highlight how DEI initiatives often disproportionately fall on the few who are present and who must carry an outsized share of DEI responsibilities. They argue that institutional change—not individual resilience—is needed to address these inequities. This framing resonated strongly, as my personal research documents similar patterns of underrepresentation of librarians of color in academic libraries. By casting representation as both an opportunity and a burden, the chapter makes a compelling case for structural rather than personal responsibility.

Having established these foundations, the book then turns to applied strategies in the sections on instruction, outreach, collections, and archives, demonstrating the potential to enact systemic commitments in practice effectively. Specifically, the section on decolonizing information literacy provides practical strategies for inclusive teaching, including bilingual resources, culturally relevant examples, and support for first-generation students. These chapters are beneficial for instruction librarians seeking to translate equity commitments into pedagogy. Similarly, chapters on outreach offer models for trust-building and relational engagement, particularly through campus partnerships and student-centered events. A consistent message emerges; librarians cannot assume that students understand what librarians do or how library services can support them. Making services visible is itself a part of building trust, especially for first-generation students. Just as outreach requires intentional relationship-building, collection development emerges here as another form of community engagement.

Community engagement in light of collection development sees contributors describing efforts to build collections that reflect Spanish-speaking populations, Latin American diasporas, and intersectional Latinx identities. Others criticize the structural limitations of cataloging systems, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings, which often erase or misrepresent marginalized identities. Equally significant are efforts to incorporate student input into cataloging and metadata decisions, offering replicable models for inclusive practice. This participatory approach carries through into the section on archives and special collections, which stands out for its depth and innovation.

Authors describe student-led oral histories, community-centered exhibitions, and zine-making projects that document and preserve Latine histories. These initiatives position students as co-creators, not as mere users, disrupting traditional hierarchies of archival authority. Particularly compelling is the chapter by Enriquez, Prieto, Starry, Hoff, and Boehlert, which pairs an oral history collection with a systematic and ongoing assessment of student learning outcomes and community impact.

As with many edited collections, there is some variation in scope and depth. Some chapters include detailed case studies and assessment data, while others remain more descriptive or experiential in nature. The geographic focus tends to favor institutions in the Western United States, which may limit the applicability of some models elsewhere. Additionally, readers seeking more sustained theoretical framing may find the implicit references to CRT, CCW, or LatCrit insufficient. Still, the collection’s practical orientation and wide range of perspectives outweigh these limitations. The book succeeds in providing concrete models that libraries of different sizes and contexts can adapt.

The book’s practical orientation ensures its applicability across multiple settings. It will be particularly valuable for academic libraries at HSIs, emerging HSIs, and institutions experiencing demographic shifts. It is also highly relevant to MLIS programs and instructors who aim to prepare students for equity-centered practice by incorporating tenets into instruction, outreach, cataloging/metadata, or multicultural librarianship coursework. Outside the classroom, the book would serve well in professional development collections, DEI working groups, or internal training programs dedicated to culturally sustaining library services.

In a professional environment where DEI efforts are increasingly scrutinized, contested, or deprioritized, Serving Hispanic, Latine, and Latinx Students in Academic Libraries offers both affirmation and a roadmap for action. By centering Latine students and the library workers who support them, this volume provides a timely, practice-oriented resource for inclusive librarianship. Any academic library serious about equity and representation should add this book to their collection. —Marina Luz Corrales, San José State University

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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