Official Tumblr of We Need Diverse Books

(Recorded at American Library Assocation Midwinter Conference February 2018)
We Need Diverse Books invites you to a lively and dynamic discussion about the benefits and goals of highlighting books as diverse. Shelving choices play a major role in which books are checked out of libraries, and by whom. How does marking a book as diverse change who reads it? What is the value and harm of sections like LGBT+ and African-American literature? Is “Diverse Books” a theme for a display? What alternatives exist? How can we both celebrate and integrate diverse stories in library collections? Panelists will explore related questions and provide suggestions for organizing collections that draw attention to books about young people of color, Native youth, disabled kids, LGBTQIA+ children, and young people from marginalized religions, ethnicities, and cultures.
Moderator: Sandie Angulo Chen
Panelists: Alia Jones, Tori Ogawa, Soraya Silverman, Amy Reyes, Sarah Park Dahlen
Recorded by Lauren James
Captions edited by Carolyn H.
RELATED LINKS:
• Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s essay on Mirrors, Windows,and Sliding Glass Doors
• Soraya Silverman-Montano’s PowerPoint with Storytime Underground about diverse storytime
• CCBC’s Publishing Statistics on diversity
• Malinda Lo’s blog post on perception of diversity in reviews
• Alia Jones’ PowerPoint about finding and using diverse children’s books