Diversity has been the focus of this blog. The book reviews I posted throughout the time this blog has been live are all examples of diversity in fiction, and they were only the books I managed to finish. The reviews are not the extent of what I would do with them. Diversity is an important part of modern society. Providing people with a window to other situations or mirror of their own situation can be an important role of the library. Promoting diversity either as part of an established celebration (such as Harmony Day ("Home," 2018) or Wear it Purple Day ("Wear It Purple," 2018) or as an event within your library. These book reviews have been leading to the creation of displays.
I am not employed in a library, so I haven’t been able to fully create the displays, but I can create mock ups and examples. All examples have been made with a fake library in place, Seshat Public Library (after one of the Egyptian deities associated with libraries and reading). The printed materials have a link on them that directs people to the reading list page on this blog, The Seshat Public Library Reading List (McPherson, 2018). That reading list currently hyperlinks to the books on Goodreads in a library situation would be hyperlinked to the book in the catalogue or not at all.
The Reading List.
The reading list I created covers a multitude of issues relevant to modern young people. From LGBTQ+ identities to familial pressure to living with cancer to school shootings. The section on LGBTQ+ identities has books covering most parts of the community homosexuality, lesbianism, asexuality, demi-sexuality, pansexuality, trans. In both self and in those closest to a person. Largely creating this list was done off the top of my head. To find certain books I asked Google. For example, Written in the Stars (Saeed, 2015) was the result of asking Google for a book on forced marriage. This is Where it Ends (Nijkamp, 2016) was the result of looking for a book about a school shooting. I did endeavour as much as possible to stay away from the obvious titles (choosing Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts over The Fault in Our Stars by John Green) but some are quintessential (such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Haddon, 2003) as a book as Asperger’s).
What is missing? Socioeconomic status was the area that I couldn’t think of much for settling on The Outsiders (Hinton, 2007, written and set in the 1960s) and Behind the Sun (Challinor, 2012, set in colonial Australia) neither of which are modern both of which may help the right person. There isn’t much non-fiction or genre variance (most of it is contemporary romance or drama) in the list at all. There are a lot of biographies on various aspects of modern society that could have been included but without reading them I couldn’t be certain of their suitability for a youth audience. Additionally, there isn’t much variety in form. A couple of graphic novels and one anthology but not enough to be varied and engaging.
Any library creating this list would need to look at what is in their collection and their patron base before creating a sizable list. But LGBTQ+ always needs to be included, not everyone is out and it’s not something that we regularly gather information on.
Pamphlet.
This is something that is more for the adults of young people. Paper never seems to appeal to young people as much as other aspects, but in some ways, this list isn’t just for them it’s for their parents and others in their lives who want to try and empathise with what a generation is experiencing. From that angle, it is logical to create a more traditional medium as well.
Broken down much the same way as the reading list it has fewer books but more information about them. The blurbs are written to a space limitation and are shortened versions of the blurbs provided by Goodreads (which if generally speaking the blurb of that edition). I’ve taken the cover images of the editions I read off the publisher’s websites. There was a lot of trial and error in the design of the brochure. Fiddling with the text boxes and making sure everything is away from the fold lines. Again, the margins are set to minimum and images are from Pixabay (Alexas Fotos, 2016; BenediktGeyer, 2018; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, 2014; geralt, 2018; mohamed hassan, 2018).
Bookmarks.
The bookmarks are simple and were popular at my last place or employment (becoming something of a collectable among some students). Printing the bookmarks on heavier than normal paper (200gsm or 300gsm) will negate the need to laminate them. Laminating given them longevity. The sizing I’ve used in this example is 5.4cm high x 18.46cm wide, with the page margins set to minimal. Microsoft Publisher as an eyedropper function which allows colours to be sampled that is how the backing and font colours were chosen. The text fonts are selected fonts from the Publisher suite. The quotes were chosen for message and brevity While I have read almost all these books so chose from my own readings, Goodreads hosts quotes as a section for each book.
I’m not overly happy with the phrasing on the back but it gets my point across in a limited number of characters. The watermark is a freely sourced image from Pixabay (PatternPictures, 2015). TinyURL ("Home," n.d.) allows you to shorten URLs for free and customise them.
Full images of the bookmarks and the pamphlet are available at Seshat Public Library Diverse Reading Materials, having them here looking so untidy. I will happily provide .pdf or .pub files (Microsoft Publisher files) for the bookmarks and pamphlet upon request. One of the limitations of Blogger is the inability to easily upload and share files.
Other promotion options.
Social media. I’ve made one post (bookishbastet (Catherine McPherson), 2018), but a library could in theory use a social platform to promote a list of books. A series of ongoing posts, once a week using a hashtag and hyperlinks. It will require an understanding of the libraries chose platform (Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram) and your audience but it should be doable for a young adult librarian. I used #recommendationwednesday, #diversereads and tagged the author. Other hashtags could include #librariesofinstagram, an indication of a week or a theme (#lgbtq+ or #forcedmarriage).
Posters. Posters are a library staple. From the DIY to the more recent computer displayed they have never gone anywhere simply evolved. Humans are complicated are the books written abut us are just as multifaceted, so it is possible to use some of these books on multiple posters. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Lee, 2017) looks at 3 different LGBTQ+ identities and deals with epilepsy (realistically I might add), This is Where it Ends (Nijkamp, 2016) is both sexually and racially diverse (but it is not an easy read). Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel (Farizan, 2014) is a look at both an LGBTQ+ book and a book on a different culture. A useful resource for libraries with a large LGBTQ+ community are the graphics created by lovemystarfire (Starfire, 2018). Her graphics are educational and free for use explaining the many flags and terms associated with the LGBTQ+ community.
Blind Date with Different this is a display idea. A play on the Valentine’s idea blind date with a book. There are plenty of instructions online for how to do blind date with a book so I’m not going to go in to it here (try Flynn, 2016 for a simple overview). I really like the idea of a blind date with a book as a way to introduce a different view of the world to someone. My preferred option for the blind date covering is the first line. So, I’ll leave you with 5 of those. Would you pick any of them up?
- Carl Sagan said that if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
- Every love story is a ghost story.
- Hello. I hope somebody is listening.
- Free will. Some have called it the greatest gift bestowed on humanity.
- On the morning we are to leave for our Grand Tour of the Continent, I wake in bed beside Percy.
Full heading quote and citation “Our diversity is our strength. What a dull and pointless life it would be if everyone was the same.” – Angelina Jolie (Baggott, 2017)
The references in the following reference list include not only the above references but all the images and links for the bookmarks, pamphlet (McPherson, 2018a) and reading list (McPherson, 2018b).
References
Ace & Proud cover. (2015, August 13). Purple Cake Press. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://purplecakepress.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ace-proud-cover-tiny-cute-spade-lowered.jpg
Ace & Proud: An Asexual Anthology by A.K. Andrews. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27738475-ace-proud
Alexas Fotos. (2016, October 17). Defferent nationalities children. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/different-nationalities-children-1743392/
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15801353-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28400928-the-art-of-being-normal
Ash by Malinda Lo. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6363322-ash
Asset 24926015. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1502941337l/24926015.jpg
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Baggott, N. (2017, March 16). Angelina Jolie talks to HELLO! about her new film and role as the face of Mon Guerlain. HELLO. Retrieved from https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/skincare-and-fragrances/2017031637385/angelina-jolie-interview-mon-guerlain/
BenediktGeyer. (2018). Rainbow heart colorful lgbtq. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/rainbow-heart-colorful-lgbtq-3312841/
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18166920-beyond-magenta
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30654009-the-bone-sparrow
bookishbastet (Catherine McPherson). (2018, May 16). #recommendationwednesday @themackenzilee. Instagram. [Instgram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi0xe0lBPl7/
The Boundless Sublime by Lili Wilkinson. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28052355-the-boundless-sublime
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32768522-carry-on
Challinor, D. (2012). Behind the sun [Kindle]. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com.au/Behind-Convict-Girls-Deborah-Challinor-ebook/dp/B008TGMNOS
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13722513-cinder
Clker-Free-Vector-Images. (2014, June 12). Health medicine serpent wings. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/health-medicine-serpent-wings-304919/
Cover for 0763656119. (n.d.). CandlewickPress. [Image File]. Retrieved from http://www.candlewick.com/images/cwp_bookjackets/648/0763656119.jpg
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Cover for 9781492622468. (n.d.-a). Sourcebooks. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://shop.sourcebooks.com/images/thumbnails/0/500/9781492622468.jpg
Cover for 9781780621340. (n.d.-b). Hachette Australia. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://d1j7sgg6ckvcvy.cloudfront.net/books/thumbnails/9781780621340.jpg?v=12&scale=both&width=440
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Cover for 9780062382801. (n.d.-f). HarperCollinsPublishers. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://i.harperapps.com/covers/9780062382801/y648.jpg
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Cover for 9781742612386. (n.d.-h). Pan Macmillan Australia. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://www.biblioimages.com/macmillanaus/getimage.aspx?class=books&assetversionid=435100&cat=default&size=large&id=22184
Cover for 9781922147257. (n.d.-i). Text Publishing. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://d2wzqffx6hjwip.cloudfront.net/spree/images/attachments/000/024/479/product/9781922147257.jpg?1502251461
Cover for Cinder. (2012). Marissa Meyer. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://www.marissameyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/cinder.jpg
Cover for Hey, Nobody's Perfect. (n.d.). Ann Herrick. [Image File]. Retrieved from http://annherrickauthor.com/images/books/bk_hey1.jpg
Cover for If I Tell You. (n.d.). Booktopia. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://www.booktopia.com.au/http_coversbooktopiacomau/big/9780646961255/if-i-tell-you.jpg
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3438.The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_In_the_Night_time
Dear Martin by Nic Stone. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24974996-dear-martin
Farizan, S. (2014). Tell me again how a crush should feel: A novel [Kindle]. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com.au/Tell-Again-Crush-Should-Feel-ebook/dp/B00KNCWLP2
Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32129370-finding-nevo
Flynn, A. (2016, February 3). Blind date with a book at your library. Compendium. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://compendium.ocl-pa.org/blind-date-with-a-book-at-your-library/
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by MacKenzie Lee. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue
geralt. (2018). Mourning candle obituary die death. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/mourning-candle-obituary-die-death-3064504/
Haddon, M. (2003). The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. London: Red Fox Definitions.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34530151-the-hate-u-give
Hey, Nobody’s Perfect by Ann Herrick. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39908290-hey-nobody-s-perfect
Hinton, S. E. (2007). The Outsiders. London, England: Penguin.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28686840-holding-up-the-universe
Home. (2018). In Harmony Day. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.harmony.gov.au/
Home. (n.d.). In TinyURL. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://tinyurl.com/
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23573418-i-ll-give-you-the-sun
Ida by Alison Evans. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30720860-ida
If I Tell You by Alicia Tuckerman. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36437107-if-i-tell-you
Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23395680-illuminae
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20575446-in-real-life
Lee, M. (2017). The gentleman's guide to vice and virtue. New York, New York: Katherine Teen.
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31625048-let-s-talk-about-love
A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7981456-a-long-walk-to-water
Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36275385-love-hate-other-filters
The Lunar Chronicles series (4 books). (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/series/62018-the-lunar-chronicles
McPherson, C. (2018a). Seshat Public Library diverse reading promotional materials. In We're all in this together. Retrieved May 19, 2018, from http://diverseya.blogspot.com.au/p/blog-page.html
McPherson, C. (2018b). Seshat Public Library reading list. In We're all in this together. Retrieved May 19, 2018, from http://diverseya.blogspot.com.au/p/seshat-public-library-reading-list.html
mohamed hassan. (2018). Books library book old library. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/books-library-book-old-library-3253834/
The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26198206-the-moonlight-dreamers
Nijkamp, M. (2016). This is where it ends. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire.
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30849412-the-one-memory-of-flora-banks
Openly Straight by Bill Konigsber. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23399202-openly-straight
PatternPictures. (2015, December 21). Book spine colors pastel. pixabay. [Image File]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/books-spine-colors-pastel-1099067/
Peeling The Onion: How Many Layers Hide The Person You Really Are? by Wendy Orr. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1478308.Peeling_The_Onion
Pinned by Sharon G. Flake. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13492511-pinned
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25322449-radio-silence
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys
The Raven Cycle series (4 books). (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/series/73675-the-raven-cycle
Saeed, A. (2015). Written in the stars. New York, NY: Speak.
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21248666-she-is-not-invisible
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25574212-the-sidekicks
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24926015-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda
Sky Legs by Irini Savvides. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9472969-sky-legs
The Song of Achilles by Madelline Miller. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12177656-the-song-of-achilles
Starfire, T. (2018). Lovemystarfire profile. In Deviant Art. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://lovemystarfire.deviantart.com/
Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28588459-still-life-with-tornado
Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34446381-stranger-than-fanfiction
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29852514-the-sun-is-also-a-star
Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20312458-tell-me-again-how-a-crush-should-feel
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385449-they-both-die-at-the-end
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29844228-thirteen-reasons-why
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35475837-this-is-where-it-ends
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32596757-the-upside-of-unrequited
Wear It Purple. (2018). In Where it purple day. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from http://wearitpurple.org/
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34806324-when-dimple-met-rishi
When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29753111-when-michael-met-mina
Wonder by R.J. Palacio. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11387515-wonder
Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30336056-words-in-deep-blue
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26067895-written-in-the-stars
Yassmin's Story by Yassmin Abdel-Magied. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29388608-yassmin-s-story
You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25701463-you-re-welcome-universe
Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts. (n.d.). In Goodreads. Retrieved May 16, 2018, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15757486-zac-and-mia
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