Imaginations and Imaginary Glass: Building an American Girl Doll Collection for Everyone

Abstract

In the late 1990s, my mom took me on the train to downtown Chicago for an experiential birthday. Now nearly three decades from that afternoon at the American Girl store, with my eager eyes staring beyond the glass display at Samantha, I realize that many did not have a similar experience growing up. However, I could not have foreseen that the beloved dolls of my childhood would become a major part of my career as a youth services librarian or be part of a larger trend towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives within public libraries.