Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall: Are Rural Libraries Answering the Call?

This article explores the opportunities for a rural regional library consortium to provide greater access to a greater number of diverse books for patrons. Specifically, children’s book collections within the consortium were analyzed to determine the number of books in the children’s collection containing authentic representations of life in rural places. The analysis further examined the distribution of those texts across categories such as picture books, middle grade literature, and young adult literature. The article concludes with recommendations for librarians who wish to expand their collections to include texts that reflect life in rural communities.