This activity was a review of a journal article:
Monroe, S. (2012). A world of words and wisdom: Exploring the global community of libraries and remarkable librarians in children’s literature. Childhood Education, 88(2), 108-113
What did you learn? How was this relevant to your professional practice as a librarian for children/young adults?
Writing a review of a journal article was a useful academic process that I can see being of benefit in the future. As a professional, I believe it is also necessary to contribute to the knowledge of the field, and so being able to write a journal article or review others’ is a way to do this. Also, being able to critically reflect on journal articles ensures that my reading in the future is not taking articles at face value, but rather looking into the environment they come from and perspectives of the authors.
Part of ALIA’s core values statement for library professionals is “respect for the diversity and individuality of all people.” (ALIA, 2007). This core value for library professionals in Australia means that as I become a professional, I need to understand and respect the diversity in the communities where I will work.
Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed? How might you fill these gaps?
Through looking at this topic, diversity, I realised that it encompasses so much more than just different cultures/languages and so library programs and resources embracing diversity should be more than just multicultural. I also became aware that I had not considered what resources in my library's collection I would recommend to a parent or teacher looking for diversity. By considering sources like Monroe's and conducting catalogue searches, I should be able to find a range of children's books which address diversity. Interestingly, there is a Twitter discussion regarding diversity in books at #weneeddiversebooks.
Discussion of topic: diversity
The activity I undertook looked at diversity in terms of multiculturalism, one of the most common themes when thinking about diversity. Multicultural literature for children is a powerful platform for encouraging them to develop multiple viewpoints and positive concepts of themselves and others (Kirylo & Thirumurthy, 2011, p. 446). The best way books can promote authentic experiences of diversity is by protagonists maintaining their uniqueness while still undergoing rituals and challenges that are universal (Pearce, 2003, p. 244). This is an important topic as the world is becoming a global, connected community and the road to global understanding begins with children having access to literature and programs that promote diversity in all its forms (Naidoo, 2014, p. 10).
For children and young adults, libraries should be places where they can find information, resources and support for any information need they may have. Therefore, library collections need to reflect a diverse range of topics and human situations so that all children and youth are able to find themselves reflected in the literature as well as being able to access information about themselves (Naidoo, 2014, p. 13). For example, young people who identify as LGBTQ could be provided with information from well-maintained sites like www.leewind.org. This is another aspect of diversity that is gaining momentum in recognition as a need for libraries to address.
References
Australian Library and Information Association. (2007). ALIA core values statement. Retrieved from https://alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/alia-core-values-statement
Kirylo, J. D., & Thirumurthy, V. (2011). Issues in education: Building cultural bridges through international children's literature. Childhood Education, 87(6), 446-447. doi: 10.1080/00094056.2011.10523229
Naidoo, J. C. (2014). The importance of diversity in library programs and material collections for children [white paper]. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/alsc/importance-diversity
Pearce, S. (2003). Messages from the inside?: Multiculturalism in contemporary Australian children’s literature. The Lion and the Unicorn, 27(2), 235-250.
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