The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Asian and Pacific Islander authors face book bans
In the United States, we celebrate May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, yet books by Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States have been subject to the same wave of challenges and bans in schools and libraries as have books by and about other People of Color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Writing for ABC News Digital in New York, race and culture reporter Kiara Alfonseca says, “Titles highlighting Asian American cultures have been targets among the long and growing inventory of books singled out by critics, prompting concerns about representation in literature.” In her article “Book bans, threats and cancellations: Asian American authors face growing challenges,” Alfonseca speaks with Samira Ahmed, author of the novels Internment and Hollow Fires; Grace Lin, author of A Big Mooncake for Little Star; and Hena Khan, author of the picture book Under My Hijab.
As Alfonseca writes, groups such as Moms for Liberty claim to challenge books for what they consider to be ”objectionable” content, ”including violence, sexual content or anti-American sentiment.” However, many of the books simply try to represent identities that have long been underrepresented and/or attempt to address complex political issues. Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Representation in literature provides a mirror for young people
In a guest post in School Library Journal, author Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn writes about her own memories connecting with works that felt like they reflected her experiences, such as when she read Celeste Ng’s novel Everything I Never Told You. She discusses the importance of offering mirrors to young people, options for fiction and other works in which they can see themselves. When these cultural mirrors are absent, it can create a sense of isolation and invisibility.
Books like Blackburn’s Exclusion and the Chinese American story, which helps to expand the juvenile and young adult concepts of the Asian American experience in history, are important contributions – not only for young Asian readers but for all young readers to gain an appreciation for stories from multiple cultures and perspectives. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
CILIP launches library awareness campaign
“Libraries Change Lives” is a campaign to support public libraries in the United Kingdom by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). The campaign, which runs 24-28 June 2024, aims to show politicians the value of public libraries to politicians in anticipation of the next General Election. CILIP is asking all UK libraries to submit a case study about library activities and events that show the impact of libraries on users. The categories for the case studies on CILIP’s site include “learning and social mobility,” which is one of many ways libraries support traditionally underrepresented groups.
CILIP does not mention the recent independent review of English public libraries by Baroness Elizabeth Sanderson of Welton, but I assume it was one of the factors in creating their new campaign. Sanderson’s report notes the lack of recognition of library work in all levels of government as one of the fundamental challenges to overcome in supporting libraries. The deadline for submitting a case study to CILIP is 24 May 2024. I know many of our Hanging Together readers are not located in the UK, but I hope all of you reading this and working at a UK library will submit a case study. Contributed by Kate James.
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.
