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Category: What Is The Diverse BookFinder Project?

Curious about the Diverse BookFinder project, how it got its start, the people behind it and vision? Learn about the team, their inspiration, process and vocabulary here.

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This guest post is co-authored by our summer MLIS graduate student interns, Karen Wang and Sanura Williams. The topic was inspired by Bates student Alex Gilbertson '22, from one of her final projects for our Co-founder and Director Dr. Krista Aronson's Psychology course called "The Power of Picture Books." Here at the Diverse BookFinder, our ...continue reading "Picture Book Portrayals of Economic Struggle in the U.S.: What do the numbers say?"

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“Any Child: Books featuring BIPOC in which race, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, culture, im/migration, and/or religious, sacred, or origin stories are not central to the story. These elements may be present, but they are not essential to the plot and could be changed without altering the storyline.” Over the next few months, we'll be featuring a list ...continue reading "Every Day Books for Every Child"
an image of colorful book spines

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Photo Credit: Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash In October, we launched our free, online Collection Analysis Tool (CAT) -- funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services -- to help librarians across the nation diversify their bookshelves. A recent survey done by School Library Journal indicates that the majority of librarians feel it is "very ...continue reading "How to Gain Support for & Navigate Challenges to Diversifying Your Library’s Collection"

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This post was written collaboratively by our three founders -- Brenna Callahan (Bates Alum), Dr. Krista Aronson (Professor of Psychology), and Anne Sibley O'Brien (picture book creator). There are a lot of things that make the Diverse BookFinder one-of-a-kind within the broader diverse books movement. But there’s one thing in particular that draws the most ...continue reading "How Our Book Categories & Race/Culture Tagging System Can Benefit You"

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Honestly, we never set out to do this. It started with Krista’s 2010 research on Cross-Group books. I was invited in as a community advisor, with author Margy Burns Knight, to create the titles for the study. Krista’s and my next step was offering workshops, “Books as Bridges,” for educators and parents on how children ...continue reading "The Diverse BookFinder Vision & Mission: An Evolution"

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We believe that too many children are left out of mainstream picture books, so we research who is currently included — and how — to spark conversation and change. We would like to improve on how we categorize Native stories, including origin stories and the sacred. Humbly recognizing that it can take many people to ...continue reading "Seeking Input and Ideas from North American Indigenous Peoples"

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Luis is the Manager of the Courtland S. Wilson branch of the New Haven Public Library in Connecticut. He is a member of the Diverse BookFinder Advisory Council. I was first introduced to the Diverse BookFinder when I met co-founder Anne Sibley O’Brien at a workshop in March 2018. The workshop was sponsored by the ...continue reading "Why Diversifying Your Library’s Youth Collection is “Worth the Money”"

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We believe that too many children are left out of mainstream picture books, so we research who is currently represented — and how — to spark conversation and change. It’s not immediately clear to people how a Psychologist like me found her way to multicultural picture books, so let me take a moment to tell ...continue reading "Creating Friendships Across Difference: The Diverse BookFinder Story"

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Last week we celebrated the two-month anniversary of our digital launch with an update on the feedback and responses we’ve received, and how the project will continue to evolve to better serve our readers. One of the issues we discussed was the need to help casual Diverse BookFinder users better understand some of the cultural ...continue reading "Identifying Problematic Titles"

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As of today, it's been two months since the launch of the Diverse BookFinder website. In that time we’ve achieved much—in large part thanks to all of you who’ve used the site and who’ve shared your thoughts. You’ve helped us learn and grow and more clearly define what the Diverse BookFinder is and does (critical ...continue reading "A Work in Progress: Gratitude and Collaboration"

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