[CALIBK12] building a diverse collection

Thu May 14 18:15:33 PDT 2009

Wow, JoAnne, thank you so much for your suggestions! This is a very helpful
and comprehensive list. Could be the basis for an excellent presentation at
CSLA...(just a thought)...

--Sue Beckmeyer
  Library Coordinator
  Vallemar School (K-8)
  Pacifica School District
  Pacifica, CA 94044

On Thu, May 14, 2009 at 4:46 PM, ladewig <shatz at verizon.net> wrote:

>  Lisa,
>
> I'm not sure what grade levels your school ranges in, but at my elementary
> K – 6 site I have gone in multiple directions to try to address this need.
>
>
>
> One, I beefed up my folk and fairy tale section – doubling my shelving in
> that area, and included collections of books reflecting our students'
> heritages. Some of the books are collections of stories, Like "Favorite
> Filipino Children's Stories" or others (there are lots of good, new ones out
> there) of Hispanic, Vietnamese, Korean, etc. stories.
>
>
>
> Two, I updated our country books (geography section) with a strong emphasis
> on books about Mexico and Asian countries, and a few of the eastern European
> countries (former Soviet "Satellite" countries).
>
>
>
> Three, I added drawing books that featured the countries where our
> children's parents have emigrated from.
>
>
>
> Four, I bought picture dictionaries in Spanish and several Asian languages,
> and bi-lingual picture and story books.
>
>
>
> Five, I bought several new holiday books for Three King's Day & Day of the
> Dead (Mexico) as well as some new Asian celebration books, and a book of
> children's celebrations around the world.
>
>
>
> Six, I also got a few new books for my 200 shelf – again, I bought several
> books that had multiple religions discussed for good comparison reading, as
> well as some updated singular volumes, also some books specifically for
> crafts, food etc. for religious holidays.
>
>
>
> Seven, I bought some new gardening and cooking books with ethnic families
> and recipes featured.
>
>
>
> Eight, I added additional books to the 900 (exploration, etc.) that
> included the Middle East, and the biography section – added some new Asian
> Americans and historical Asian figures.
>
>
>
> Nine, I look for reviews on the best picture books and chapter books
> featuring: 1. Multiple races/ethnicities/mixed-race children featured on the
> cover or in illustrations in the text. These may be generic stories (regular
> stories - not dealing with immigration or prejudice) but it is important for
> children to see reflections of their racial/ethnic identity in/on books and
> magazines. 2. Immigrant stories – current and past times – I use several of
> these in my story time activities. 3. Stories of children in other
> countries, either contemporary or as historical fiction. Also the "journals"
> or "diaries" of immigrant Americans (Scholastic has a pretty good series) 4.
> Stories that particularly reflect the students' ethnic/national background.
> I have found one (picture book) about the Indian custom of using henna to
> dye hands for weddings, also just got a new one about a girl wanting to try
> on her mamma's saris. I make these books "more visible" in my library by
> displaying them at the top of the bookshelves so covers can be seen, or
> (picture books) on low tables for primary children to see and select. 5.
> Books by authors that feature immigrant or "adjusting" ethnic-heritage
> children by American authors of minority ancestry like Lawrence Yep, etc.
>
>
>
> Amazing Grace and (new) Princess Grace are both picture books that feature
> a black main character but also have other ethnic heritage children
> pictured.
>
>
>
>  I also make a point of reading them so I can do on-the-spot book talks and
> recommend them. One girl just would not stop reading (and rereading!) "The
> Color of My Words" by Lynn Joseph after I recommended it to her. "The Silk
> Umbrellas" is also a very good - about ethnic farm families and what happens
> as their farm/jungle lands grow smaller (through inherited division or
> selling off) and they scramble for jobs assembling small electronics, etc.
>
>
>
> A lot of children's magazines are now much better at including many
> ethnicities/races/cultures in their content.
>
>
>
> I would also like to share an observation. (FYI - My school is majority
> Hispanic and Asian, with white and black children as "minority" status, and
> most of our "black" children are mixed race/ethnicity.) Despite the fact
> that I do strive to include many selections featuring non-Caucasian
> children, I notice that Asian students don't necessarily gravitate to books
> featuring Asians (etc.). That's okay – a lot of children at my site are
> still transitioning, and reading stories of "already-here Americans"
> probably helps give them a sense of American culture that they may not have
> access to in their homes. Still, all the children SEE their and other
> races/ethnicities/cultures reflected back from the various books on the
> shelves, and it's the mix and the visual inclusion that's important, as well
> as the stories themselves.
>
>
>
> Joanne Ladewig  (A.K.A. "Library Lady")
>
> Library Media Tech
>
> Lawrence Elementary, GGUSD
>
> Garden Grove, California
>
> shatz at verizon.net
>
>
>
> Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark.
> Professionals built the Titanic.
>
> Comments are my own and may not represent the views of GGUSD
>
>
>   ------------------------------
>
> *From:* calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:
> calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] *On Behalf Of *Lisa Gonzalez
> *Sent:* Thursday, May 14, 2009 2:03 PM
> *To:* calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
> *Subject:* [CALIBK12] building a diverse collection
>
>
>
> Our school just finished our WASC accreditation process and one of our
> major recommendations was for the library to improve our collection in terms
> of its diversity and multi-cultural materials.  My administration is asking
> me to come up with specific criteria such as "What percentage of our
> resources should be multicultural?" and "How many multicultural books do we
> need to buy each year?"  I looked at the CSLA standards, specifically  2.1
> ("Contains materials representing the community's diversity...") and 3.5
> ("Contains resources that enlarge understanding of ethnic and cultural
> differences"), but the guidelines presented are for all books, not just
> multicultural books.
>
>
>
> I posed this question to Maria Petropulos, who was the chairperson for the
> CSLA Standards for School Library Media Resources.  She responded by saying
> that setting a percentage of "multicultural books" would mean I'd also have
> to give a percentage for other types of books like poetry, sci fi, etc.  She
> encouraged me to build a collection that " meets individual needs of the
> students at your school and represent all types of cultures so that students
> can learn about cultures different from their own" and to make sure to
> include resources that validate and raise the esteem of minority groups.
> She also encouraged me to post the question on CALIBK12.
>
>
>
> So, can anyone share with me any wisdom or point me towards other resources
> that can help me satisfy my administration's requirements for a quantitative
> criteria?  I don't necessarily agree with putting a number on how many books
> are considered "diverse" or "multicultural," but for now, I do need to
> provide my administration with some sort of rough number.
>
>
>
> I appreciate any suggestions you can give.  Thank you in advance!
>
>
>
> Lisa M. Gonzalez
>
> Library Media Specialist
>
> Valley Christian School
>
> 100 Skyway Drive
>
> San Jose, CA 95111
> (408) 513-2426
>
> lgonzalez at vcs.net
>
> http://blogs.vcs.net/library/
>
>
>
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