Hi Miss Julie is Talking to YOU!

Julie is a long-time blogger who blogs infrequently but each and every post is a powerful statement that addresses an issue in youth librarianship. When last we heard from her (July, 2020), Julie was exposing the many ways that bad management impacts workers in youth librarianship.

from Hi Miss Julie's blog

I am happy to note her latest post Nice White Librarians [Hi Miss Julie blog. July 10, 2022] in which she dissects how, when we are nice - and part of the dominant culture, we can create real damage in how we do our service and how we treat our peers, colleagues and patrons.  

She then gives concrete examples on how we can do better going forward. Powerful stuff.

This post should be required reading for everyone working in youth librarianship.

Race, Justice, Kids and Libraries

prettygooddesign.org

There is always more work to be done by each and every one of us to create a safe and bias-free world for all our communities. This work doesn't start or stop when there is injustice and unrest because that has been ever-present - not just historically but for every single day of your and my lived life. Every. Day. Until we commit to fighting injustice and racism every day, no matter who we are or where we are from, we can't make this change happen. Let's all be that change. 

The following resources on this blog post will be updated as links and resources come to our attention. Please feel free to share any you run across in the comments.

KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives: Anti-Racist Resources for Children, Families and Educators. The Brown Bookshelf. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. 6/4/20

Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race  prettygooddesign blog

Talking Race with Young Children. NPR 4/26/19

Black Lives Matter Instructional Library - clickable links to read-alouds for kids

ALSC Supporting Diverse Communities Toolkit
Families of diverse backgrounds are facing increased uncertainty and are turning to their public libraries as a resource for information on navigating issues in our changing times. The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has compiled a list of resources to help librarians support children and families through times of unrest and uncertainty. ALSC’s Core Values include Responsiveness, Inclusiveness, Integrity and Respect. Therefore, when many are feeling vulnerable, disenfranchised, or wary of what the future holds, librarians and ALSC members stand resolute in their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion

Let's Talk About Race (13:01 minute video) - The Tutu Teacher
I made this video for the kindergarten students at my school. I realize this might be a helpful video for non Black children to also watch. In the video I discuss what racism is and how it’s impacted the lives of Black and Brown people. I also read aloud the story Let’s Talk about Race. Finally, I encourage young people to think about what actions they can take to use their voice to speak out against injustices. You have my permission to share.You can find the video by tapping the link in my bio or going to https://bit.ly/videotutu

Talking About Race and Anti-Racism with Children  Ramsey County (MN) Library.  5/29/20

Anti-Racism Resources Padlet -  Compiled by Dr. Nicole Cooke

Anti-Racism Resources . Compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein. May 2020

This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Because several folks keep asking for a reading list for children (0-12) - Compiled by Sujei Lugo Vázquez (@sujeilugo)  + Alia Jones (@readitrealgood) 6/1/20

Talking About Race web portal. National Museum of  African American History and Culture. 5/31/20

An online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of society, from the economy and politics to the broader American culture. The online portal provides digital tools, online exercises, video instructions, scholarly articles and more than 100 multi-media resources tailored for educators, parents and caregivers—and individuals committed to racial equality.  

An Antiracist Reading List. Ibram X. Kendi. NYTimes  5/29/20

Inclusive Services Assessment and Guide. Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction. 6/19.

Evaluating Children's Books About Police: a toolkit for librarians and other evaluators of children's literature. Oakland Public Library. 12/17.

Race, Police and Justice: Recommended Reading for Children  Fountaindale (IL) Public Library District    5/28/20

31 Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism and Resistance. The Conscious Kid 4/29/19

Project Ready: Reimagining Equity & Access for Diverse Youth: a free online professional development curriculum. "This site hosts a series of free, online professional development modules for school and public youth services librarians, library administrators, and others interested in improving their knowledge about race and racism, racial equity, and culturally sustaining pedagogy. The primary focus of the Project READY curriculum is on improving relationships with, services to, and resources for youth of color and Native youth."

Because Black Lives Matter, A Collection of Anti-Racist Reading Lists. Karen Jensen. Teen Librarian Toolbox. SLJ  6/1/2020

Because Black Lives Matter, a Collection of Resources. Karen Jensen. Teen Librarian Toolbox. 6/5/20

Black Lives Matter: a Collection of Intersectionality Resources. Karen Jensen. Teen Librarian Toolbox. 6/8/20

A Roundup of Books on Activism, Social Justice and the Histories of Protest. Amanda McGregor. Teen Librarian Toolbox. 6/9/20

Talking to Kids about Race in Storytime and Let's Talk About Race Toolkit  Jbrary 4/28/18

Embrace Race website - links, webinars, booklists, articles and resources to teach children about race and systemic racism.

Unity and Justice Booklists. ALSC

Summer Reading List 2020. We are Kid Lit Collective.  5/28/2020

We Need Diverse Books website - booklists, resources, links

10 Books About Race To Read Instead Of Asking A Person Of Color To Explain Things To You

Bustle. 3/20/18

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice. Corinne Shutack. Medium.  8/13/17

Anti-Racism Resource List. Cissy White.  Aces Connections.  6/9/20

For more information on anti-racism and activism resources, please see these additional YSS posts:

• Race, Justice, Kids and Libraries   5/28/20
• CCBC - Black Experiences: Affirmation and Resilience, Activism and Resistance  6/19/20
• CCBC - Race and Racism: Selected Books for Children and Teens  6/19/20
• DPI- Race and Anti-Racism Resources for WI Libraries   6/22/20
• Antiracism Work with Preschoolers  6/24/20

Webinar: Supporting Healthy Racial Identity Development for All Children

Tuesday, September 18

11:00AM Central

While most white educators would never describe themselves as being prejudiced, studies show that unconscious (implicit) bias is alive and well in educational settings. How can white educators, including librarians in school and public libraries, learn to not only notice their bias, but also act in ways that will promote and support racial equity? Join us for this important, and sometimes uncomfortable, conversation on how to address white racial bias and discrimination to create healthy, equitable learning environments.

Learn more and register for this webinar HERE.

Thinking About Your Library's Thanksgiving Collection

With the spotlight on diversity and inclusion, November is a good time to take a look at your library's Thanksgiving collection. It may be time to select new materials that reflect Native American perspectives on Thanksgiving, evaluate and deselect materials that are outdated, biased, inaccurate or misrepresentative. As you create displays or hang posters, consider what you are showing and who might be seeing it.

Resources you might want to use:

Debbie Reese's 2009 article on American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving 

Debbie Reese's 2014 article about Oyate's List of Books to Avoid, as well as books Debbie recommends

The educator's page at the National Museum of the American Indian (NAMI) website

American Indian Library Association book reviews page

Oyate's website where you can find book reviews, resources, workshops, and criteria for evaluating books for anti-Indian bias

The paper "I is for Inclusion: The Portrayal of Native Americans in Books for Young People" which covers background, evaluation, and sources for books among other things.

The Resource List from the WLA Preconference Representation, Authenticity, and Being Real: Diversity in Youth Services presented by Anna Haase Krueger and Tamara Lee of the Ramsey County Library, MN 

This list is by no means exhaustive, so please share your resources or suggestions in the comments.  

Project Implicit

Along with "looking outward" to increase diversity in our library collections and being more aware of how we, as librarians, can create safe spaces for all, I think it is important to turn inward and look at how our our perceptions and biases are created.  A great resource for closely examining our "implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control" is Project Implicit.  Project Implicit is a non-profit organization founded in 1998 by three scientists with a stated goal to "educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a 'virtual laboratory' for collecting data on the Internet."

What does this mean for you?  It mean a host of  IATs (Implicit Association Tests) that you can to discover your implicit associations on topics such as religion, sexuality, disability, and race.  I think that knowing our biases and their basis is a good step toward creating library collections and environments that are as open, diverse, and welcoming as possible.

Try out some of the IATs HERE.