Pursuing excellence for library service to children
When I graduated with my degree in education, I was required to create a capstone binder that outlined how I met “core competencies” related to education and teaching. It included things like assessments, teaching of certain core subjects, and demonstrated student growth over a period of time. After graduating, I was so happy to never do anything like that again. That is, I was…until I got to library school.
What is anti-bias education? “At the heart of anti-bias work is a vision of a world in which all children are able to blossom and each child’s abilities and gifts are able to flourish” (Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & Goins, 2020 p.5) Anti-bias education (ABE) aims to support the development of children living in a diverse, yet still unequal, society. Expanding beyond a specific curricula, ABE acts as an underlying framework, upon which all relationships and services are built in support of all young children’s growth. ABE recognizes human diversity, and that children grow up within specific family groups and that they are impacted by how society views them and how they view themselves.(Derman-Sparks, Edwards, & Goins, 2020) What are the four goals of anti-bias education? ABE has four main goals that are meant to identify, prevent (as much as possible), and address and remedy the harm that social prejudice and bias can have on…
I look at the calendar and I inwardly shudder. T-minus twenty-three (23) days until summer reading begins! Scholastic boxes are arriving. We are actively training new staff. We are brainstorming decoration ideas to the theme “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” It is an exciting time to be in a library. However, I personally always have an existential crisis when it comes time to a formal summer reading program. It’s not that I do not support having a program. I firmly acknowledge the summer slide and what the lack of consistent reading and learning does to a children’s educational progress. I know it is an opportunity for kiddos to read whatever they want and that is key to developing a love of reading. But my issue is always with the program itself. Last year, I began a personal mission to start looking at how equitable my library’s summer reading was. We…
As library and library-adjacent staff, we all probably have a shared mission of making a positive impact on our communities in equitable and inclusive ways. However, how do we ensure that all of our programs, outreach, and services are as equitable as we can make them? Last month, members of the Library Service to Underserved Children and Their Caregivers Committee, Georgette Spratling and Ewa Wojciechowska, shared how to grow with your community. As you listen to community members and actively engage with families, there may be opportunities for larger projects and more partnerships to make them possible. This is a great time to ask yourself and your team questions to ensure that the overall approach will bring the largest impact you can make on those who could benefit the most. Big Picture: Is this program reaching an underserved community where they are? Example: A library is hosting bilingual Spanish storytime…
Have you heard of GELS? It’s an acronym from the Connecticut State Library that represents their initiative Growing Equitable Library Services. This session was presented by Kymberlee Powe, their Children’s/YA Consultant, one of the programs co-creators. What does growing equitable library services mean? We often hear the phrase “Libraries are for everyone,” but we don’t always think about how big that term really is. Everyone means everyone, including groups that we may not know much about or who we may be personally uncomfortable with. We need to consciously think about how services for everyone actually exist in our libraries. The very idea of equity is about everyone getting what they need to succeed, which may look very different for different individuals or groups. This workshop series is all about helping libraries become strength-based, trauma-informed, antiracist, social- and emotionally-conscious community institutions. Content was purposefully selected with the ultimate goal of growing…
When we talk about how to connect with underserved communities, one way is through programs for youth who may be looking for more than books. Instead, they may be looking for a place to belong, a space to develop confidence, or a time that works with their variety of learning styles. I’m a librarian who loves movement in storytimes but also as part of programming for all youth. As a kinesthetic learner, I try to incorporate many different access points in my programs to connect with a variety of learners. As a Chinese martial artist, I like to bring what I have learned as well as acknowledge community members who may want to share. Today, I’d like to focus on using movement as a way to enhance programs you already do or as inspiration to partner with others to authentically bring a new type of program to your community. Storytime….
Please note that for historically marginalized communities, discussions about mistakes in the workplace may be emotionally challenging, especially if their identity is harmed in some way. I am of mixed race and I find these conversations can be especially rough when the mistakes that have been made are things that I have experienced from colleagues. Learning from others can be beneficial, but your mental well-being is more important. Don’t be afraid of opting out of these discussions to protect your peace. Intentionally inclusive programming has been on the forefront of my mind for the last few years, but even with intentionality, it’s easy to make mistakes. The thing about equity and inclusion is that the learning is ongoing. You have to commit to it for a lifetime. As library professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure what we do is in line with what we say—we can say we want…
Selecting books for programs is an essential part of a librarian’s job, but how do we do it with inclusivity in mind? We all have those books from our childhood that hold a special place in our hearts, but are those books we want to read in storytime? Should we put those titles on displays or booklists? There are so many new books being published, it can be a bit overwhelming sifting through everything to find the good stuff rather than choosing our favorite go-to classics. When I think of selecting books for programs, I always think about Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors. When a child reads a book about a person who looks or lives like them, they are reading a mirror–they are able to see themselves reflected in the book they are reading. When a child reads about someone who looks or lives…