Tackling the Tough Stuff

Sometimes we have difficult situations involving violence and traumatic experiences in our communities, regions or state. A recent ALSC blog post by Chelsea Roos addresses school shootings and how to build our collections to help families and children cope with the resulting trauma.

She writes: "There have been 160 school shootings since 2018. Every shooting leaves shocked, scared, and traumatized children in its wake. Children who have never had an act of gun violence in their school are also aware of these shootings. They happen in schools just like theirs, towns just like theirs. Sharing books can be a great way to support kids who have fears and to start a conversation about gun violence – but this is not easy, given the very small number of books published on the subject. How can we build a strong collection when there is so little published?"

To read the whole post and her book recommendations, please stop here. [On School Shootings and Difficult Collection Development. Roos, Chelsey.  ALSC Blog. May 12, 2023]