Earlier this month, the blog
Reading While White had Kiera Parrott,
reviews director for
School Library Journal and
Library Journal and a former children's librarian, examine her role as gatekeeper: "helping determine what books are good, great, even distinguished."
She discussed the importance of acknowledging that the majority of the
SLJ reviewers (around 350 total) are white, heterosexual, females. Parrott delves into the effect this has on reviewing diverse materials and
SLJ's ongoing efforts to diversify its reviewer pool. Parrott's work to shine a light on a much needed topic could not come at a better time. Hopefully, she and
SLJ continue to address the need for diverse reviewers and that other review-based publications take notice and take action as well! To read the entry in full, click
HERE.
