Can you believe it’s already July? Neither can we!
Back in January we introduced you to some big changes that 2023 would bring to the Diverse BookFinder and what that might mean for our audience.
We’ve been super busy behind the scenes and we think it’s time for a fun update about everything we’ve been working on!
Check out the FAQ below for a sneak peek at what’s coming to DBF in the Fall.
What’s this about again?
- The Diverse BookFinder (DBF) was awarded a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) and is working to expand its’ collection of diverse books for older readers.
- The DBF will not add new books between now and late Fall 2023, but when we relaunch, we’ll expand our growing picture book collection to feature more types of books, including graphic novels, middle grade (MG), and young adult (YA) titles.
- Make sure you keep an eye on #DBFHibernates on social media (Facebook, Instagram) and subscribe to our DBF Newsletter to stay in the loop!
What has happened since hibernation began?
- Recently, at the Annual American Library Association (ALA) conference members of the Diverse BookFinder team met up for lunch. Since we’re a team located all around the United States, it was such a treat to meet in person!
- In Spring 2023, the DBF team had the opportunity to work with students from the MINT Studio to develop a new branding package. Here’s a sneak peak of their work on our beautiful new color scheme:
- As our team of coders reads through a wealth of new books, we’re excitingly discovering representations of BIPOC ethnicities we’ve never seen in books before. For example, we’ve just coded our first books featuring characters who are…
-
- Bribri, CHamorus, Croatians, Danes, Kazakhs, Māori, Nicaraguans, & Serbs
- Our coders are also continuously excited by all the fun stories they’ve been reading! Check out some of the titles they’re loving:
A fun, queer, magical (like, actually magical) romance set in New Zealand. I loved reading Tim’s hilarious, hormonal point of view as he deals with his dad leaving and having some serious feelings for Elliott, his rival. – Laura L.
I personally liked the book because as a white-passing Latina, I felt a connection with the character’s internal struggle. There is guilt that comes from benefitting from white privilege, but also a sense of disconnect when your community sees you as “too white,” or as “not a real immigrant” because of a lack of accent. – Dolores P.
Zhang’s lushly colored illustrations portray a brown-skinned Rubin and multi-colored cats in a celebration of creativity. (The author’s note identifies the setting as Bolivia.) Zhang’s bold, colorful artwork creatively melds the moods of both peace and vivacity in this mellifluous ode to the power of music. – Victoria W.
What’s still in the works?
Even though we’ve gotten so much done, here are some things we’re still working on…
- The coding never ends, as of today, we’ve coded nearly 600 books!
- We’ve brought on board a new group of Book Identifiers to scour publisher catalogs for new books to add to the DBF.
- We’re reviewing applications for the new cohort of DBF Coders who will start training in September. We’ve got 78 applicants.
- Though applications for this year’s cohort have already closed, if you’re interested in becoming a DBF Coder, keep an eye out in May of 2024.
- We’re undergoing reparative revisions of our metadata to better represent titles by and about Indigenous Peoples. We hope to be better able to authentically capture the stories that these books convey by highlighting greater detail on the sacred, spiritual, and cultural related content.
- Website Updates
- Detailed character tags will highlight important intersections of identities like gender, sexuality, and disability.
- New & expanded content tags will tell you more than ever about what’s happening in a title! Tagged content areas will include: Relocation Narratives, Diverse Families, Inequalities, Traditional Cultures, and many more!
What is the general timeline? When will the new features be ready?
- We are on target. ? Our goal is to relaunch the website with all our new content and features in late Fall.
What does this mean for publishers and authors who want to send books?
- Feel free to keep sending us your digital copies but know that titles won’t appear on the website until we relaunch in late Fall.
I have questions, who can I contact?
- Our Diverse BookFinder Project Manager; Lisely Laboy
Each planned update is guided by lessons learned, our amazing advisory groups, as well as feedback from our wonderful users! We are so grateful to everyone who has contributed to our continued success!
