I created a reading list of young adult books. I then suggested ways to promote it. The core list was only books I had read since the start of 2017, the extended list included books I ran out of time to read. Originally a small activity this became larger, the extended list is over 50 books long and multiple promotion options. The blog post is titled “Our Diversity is our Strength”, the promotional exemplars and reading list were posted separately (McPherson, 2018b, 2018c, 2018d), all have been included as Appendix B.
What Did You Learn?
This was an eye-opening experience, I was unaware of the extent of representation in young adult literature. This was a lesson in the time-consuming nature of promotional work and list creation. Trial and error and the importance of knowing your technology and your users. I did this without people in mind, the experience would be different with users.
How was the Activity Relevant to Your Professional Practice Working with Children and/or Young Adults?
The items I created and suggested are known as passive readers advisory (Staley, 2010), though the bookmarks don’t quite fit the bill as they are for one book. Initially, I viewed this piece as groundwork for readers advisory, books tied together by a theme on hand for the question or for the member of the public too shy to ask. Learning how to make and design these materials is good practice for the right library where the budget is low and the interest in reading is high.
What Gaps in Your Knowledge Were Revealed and How Might You Fill Those Gaps?
The gaps were the same ones I experienced when looking at young adult book awards, the sheer breadth of topics covered in young adult literature and my ignorance of many of them. The solution is to read more and read widely (Latham & Gross, 2014). The best and most effective dissemination method for this type reading list is a gap that currently exists. This is can gap that can only be filled by circumstance, what works with one group of youth (for example elite entry high schoolers) may not work with another (such as users of a public library in a low socioeconomic area).
Discussion of Diversity in Relation to Your Chosen Activity.
In reference to a slightly younger age bracket Brock and Coughlin (2012) encourage the provision of a range of genres for children to stimulate thoughts on life’s big issues. Sims Bishop (1990) discusses the importance of representation for African American youth in literature, she is considered the mother of the mirror, window theory. By creating the longer list I did I allowed for all youth to find a character that is similar to them (a mirror) and a character that is completely foreign. Those completely different characters are the windows and allow for a vastly different reading experience, for the development of empathy. For those in a privileged position in heteronormative white society, it is a window into situations they are exempt from experiencing.
Diversity is defined “as the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.” ("diversity," n.d.) while this task has focused on young adult and fictional books it could be replicated for an adult audience or finessed to focus on just LGBTQ+ identities or focus on biographical and nonfiction books. The focus of this reflection has understandably been youth, but diversity and passive readers advisory are library-wide.
References
Brock, A., & Coughlin, A. (2012). Libraries, literacy and popular culture: what cool to read. In C. Rankin & A. Brock (Eds.), Library Services for Children and Young People: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/
diversity. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 8, 2018, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/diversity?s=t
Latham, D., & Gross, M. (2014). Young adult resources today: Connecting teens with books, music, games, movies, and more [Rowman & Littlefield]. Retrieved from: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/
McPherson, C. (2018a). Our diversity is our strength. In We're all in this together. Retrieved May 19, 2018, from http://diverseya.blogspot.com.au/2018/05/our-diversity-is-our-strength.html
McPherson, C. (2018b). 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. (2018c). 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
Sims Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ix–xi. Retrieved from: https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf
Staley, L. (2010). Passive readers' advisory: bookmarks, booklists, and displays. In J. E. Moyer & K. M. Stover (Eds.), The Readers' Advisory Handbook. Chicago: ALA Editions
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