The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Book bans and Indigenous children’s literature
An episode of National Public Radio’s Code Switch ‘Not a badge of honor’: how book bans affect Indigenous literature looks at how book bans impact Indigenous children’s literature. The interviewees include acclaimed expert on children’s literature, Dr. Debbie Reese. Reese explains that representation matters, not only for Indigenous children, but for all children who benefit from understanding more about their Indigenous neighbors, community members and fellow citizen. When a book by an Indigenous author is banned, it removes already scant but vital representation. Hawaiian author Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, whose book Kapaemahu has been banned in a Virginia library, chooses not to spend energy on that issue. “Hawaii is my mainland. . . . I can’t control what happens in Virginia or any other state.”
This piece provides useful context on the importance of children’s literature. I have long admired Dr. Reese’s dedication to interrogating authenticity and have respect and appreciation for Wong-Kalu’s focus on what is important in her own writing. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
Tale as old as time: support for young readers
Reading help has long been a core service of public libraries. Most people are familiar with summer reading programs where school-aged children can practice reading between school years. Poor performance and declining reading skill development have been impacted in recent years by several factors, not least of which is the COVID-19 pandemic, and students are falling further behind. Studies have shown that once students fall behind, they rarely catch up. At the Public Libraries Association 2024 conference, librarians shared programs they host to support struggling young readers in the hopes that other public libraries can utilize the same, or similar programs, to empower children and families in more communities across the US. These programs are not limited to summer only, or the same structure as typical summer reading programs, which helps close the gap for students that need help during the school year.
I was struck by this article because the two programs highlight librarians with titles such as Learning Differences Librarian or Early Learning Specialist. This is an important signal that public libraries are expanding their services for literacy programmed by staff with enhanced educational training. Having staff embedded full time in the public library dedicated to early educational programming is heartening in a time when schools and teachers are overworked and underpaid. Everyone suffers from the lack of access to education, but the earlier that children fall behind in reading the longer their future outcomes are delayed. Contributed by Lesley A. Langa.
Resources for Intersectionality Awareness Month
The important concept that individuals can identify with more than one demographic group is highlighted during August which is Intersectionality Awareness Month. Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE), the blog from ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), brings together resources to keep all types of libraries informed about important ideas and initiatives. In cooperation with Resources for College Libraries (RLC), TIE helps to promote diverse and inclusive institutions with a collection of important documents in “A Selection of Titles to Commemorate Intersectionality Awareness Month.” The sixteen resources listed cover such social markers as gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, class, and the ability/disability spectrum and how they interact.
Although the ideas that form the basis of the concept have been around since before the United States Civil War, the term “intersectionality” was coined by the legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in a landmark 1989 University of Chicago Legal Forum essay entitled “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Survey now open on neurodiversity in library workplaces
The Information School at the University of Washington (OCLC Symbol: WAU) has a call for participation in its neuroinclusive workplace survey. The survey, which closes 15 September 2024, is open to neurotypical librarians and library supervisors currently employed or employed within the last five years at an academic or public library. This is the next phase in its IMLS-funded research project, Empowering Neurodivergent Librarians. The project team will produce training materials for United States libraries and MLIS programs “to prepare inclusive future librarians and improve overall neurodiversity inclusion and empowerment in the library profession nationwide.”
The University of Washington’s Information School created the Autism-Ready Libraries Toolkit in 2023 as the result of a previous IMLS grant. This is an excellent online resource for training public library staff in providing services to autistic children and their families. I look forward to the resources produced by the current project and commend the Information School for its continuing research about neurodiversity in libraries. 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.
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