To find out more about children's literature, and the current issues and trends, I dug a little deeper this week. Instead of reading children's literature, or just researching what constitutes award winning literature, I spent some time investigating what professionals have to say about these topics, both on a national and more local level. I used the materials from my Children's Literature class as a starting point, then browsed information on the official position of the American Library Association {ALA} on current trends and issues. Finally, I conducted an interview with a rural children's librarian on how she feels about the topics that were highlighted by the ALA. For my interview I spoke with D. Hernandez, an elementary school librarian who serves students in grades kindergarten through 6th in a smaller, rural school district. Following are the questions I asked and my summary of each of her responses.
What kind of background do you have in literature in general, as well as specifically in children’s literature?
Prior to becoming a librarian, this librarian was an avid reader, and spent 12 years working as a book seller (D. Hernandez).
How long have you served as a children’s literature librarian?
This librarian has served in a library technician role for two complete school years (D. Hernandez).
How would you characterize diversity in children’s literature? What topic or content makes a work diverse?
According to the American Library Association, there have been more conversations over the last year addressing the lack of diversity reflected in children’s literature (ALA). Have you noticed this in the collection you curate?
When this librarian took over the school's library she felt that it was diverse, but that it could be more so. She has been continually working to increase and diversify the collection. Through this process, she has noticed that the already diverse offerings of book trade catalogs for schools has increased in diversity, especially when it comes to genre (D. Hernandez).
Do you think the availability of diverse works in children’s literature is increasing?
The librarian spoke with me about the increasing availability of different types of children's literature. Throughout her career involving books she felt that not only had diversity within the characters portrayed in books changed, but that works that are diverse were becoming more readily available (D. Hernandez). There used to be an emphasis on traditional literature, and picture books, but recently there is greater diversity in the types of books available through common school markets, and children have greater chance to read works that include a variety of genres, especially graphic novels, which were very restricted before (D. Hernandez). There are now entire teacher catalogs of graphic novels that focus on a variety of topics from pure entertainment, to biography (D. Hernandez).
How do you feel this does or does not affect the students who use it?
The inclusion of greater diversity in literature really presents all students with the opportunity to see characters to whom they can relate in a variety of ways. The librarian also pointed out that having a greater selection of genres of books has provided something for almost every reader, instead of forcing all types of readers to read a narrower range of very similar works (D. Hernandez).
Have you made any conscious efforts to address the diversity of the collection?
The librarian said that she uses the money brought in from the school's book fair to help build the collection, and makes an effort to provide books that are unlike the majority of the existing collection, while also continuing to replace irreparable books, and additional copies of the most requested books (D. Hernandez). She noted that it is not useful to the students to increase diversity in the collection unless they are also educated about them (D. Hernandez). Featuring books in the library, and teaching children about it's offerings are key to promoting diversity in the literature they read. Without this, students will tend to continue to read the same things they always have (D. Hernandez).
Do you feel that censorship by your principal or district affects the diversity of the collection and the learning opportunities for the students who use it?
This librarian reports that there is a certain level of censorship from the principal and district (D. Hernandez). She feels that some of this is probably reasonable since she is working with students who are in lower grade levels, but that it can have a negative affect on the more advanced, 5th and 6th grade students (D. Hernandez). There is sometimes hesitancy to include books that might not be appropriate for younger readers into the collection (D. Hernandez). There has also been concern from administrators over including anything that includes war, killing, or anything graphic (D. Hernandez). It can limit some historical texts, as well as historical fictions that deal with particularly troubling times for children in history; things that the upper grade students may be studying, and which often begin to feature children of similar age.
Is digital media included in your library program? If so, how is it utilized?
The librarian indicated that she does use digital media in the library program, but it is primarily for tracking her book catalog, and for the student to use for research type activities, or Reading Counts book comprehension tests (D. Hernandez). The neighborhood that is served by this school is primarily lower income, and many students don't even have internet access at home, so offering checkout of ebooks would be impractical (D. Hernandez). She did mention that she provides information about that for students who have the technology at home so they know it is available from the town's public library though.
Do you think digital media is important to include in a library program? Why or why not?
It is important, reports the librarian, for students to experience digital media in the library as well as in other areas of eduction. The digital world has arrived, and students are very much aware of, and a part of it. She finds it important to ensure that students are aware of how to utilize digital media to locate and access literature so that they won't decide that it is obsolete (D. Hernandez).
Is access outside of the school setting an issue for the students you serve? Do you think this availability has an impact on their access to quality literature and opportunities for learning?
The librarian said that not only is it difficult for many of her students to have internet access to retrieve digital media at home, but that many of them simply don't have access to books outside of school as well. She said she notices that the lower income children whose families do not seem to value literature as much often struggle more with reading and are in lower lexile readers (D. Hernandez). She feels like this combination of factors may be contributing. To help combat this, she worked wth the school's PTA, and they were able to let every student pick a new book to take home before summer break. She also entered into a Scholastic book club contest, and won a free book for every student at the school. She said she feels better knowing that every student now has at least two books at home that they can read, and hopes that the excitement of the students when they chose their books will continue, and that it will encourage them to read and not back slide as much in reading skills over the summer (D. Hernandez). Access to literature in any form is important to all students.
My questions were written based on the applicable issues highlighted by the ALA: diversity in children's literature, digital literacy, equitable access, and censorship (ALA), so the librarian interviewed hit upon all of those issues. Although the website doe not clearly define what they determine diversity to be, they do advocate for it and increasing diversity in children's literature. The site says: "Continuing to push conversations toward action, ALSC, in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council, planned and brought together leaders in children’s literature, literacy, and youth-serving organizations in January 2015 for Day of Diversity: Dialogue and Action in Children’s Literature and Library Programming. This full-day event focused on strategies for increasing diversity awareness within the publishing and library communities and ensuring that all children have access to diverse literature and library programming" (ALA). Perhaps the local librarian is seeing the effects of this work in the increasing availability of diverse works through school publishers. The site agrees with Hernandez's assessment of the importance of digital literacy for students, saying that "digital literacy continues to grow as an important library service" (ALA). The association further supports Hernandez's position on the importance of educating students in how to use media to access literature in an increasingly digital world, stating that "research shows that families are increasing their access to digital media, but they lack the knowledge to use it effectively in a way that enables learning" (ALA). Fair access is an issue because often times those who most need access to, and support in literacy, don't feel welcomed or comfortable in their libraries. School libraries serve as a gateway to community libraries, and a good school librarian will make connections for their classes between the services provided at the school, and those the students and their families at the public library. This past school year, my children's school librarian recommended they go to the public library in search of titles that were not available in the school's collection. Thankfully the librarian with whom I spoke has not encountered a situation where a book in her library has been formally challenged. She's aware of the concerns of the district and principal, and is working to increase the school's collection and make it more diverse, while not pushing too far outside of that comfort zone. Other libraries, especially school libraries have had many challenges in this area. The ALA cites "a new and frustrating pattern of school administrations not adhering to their own policies (ALA)" and censoring books containing controversial material.
Do you have thoughts on these issues, or other issues and trends that you see in children's literature today? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Resources:
American Library Association {ALA}. Issues and Trends. American Library Association (2016). Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2015/issues-and-trends.
Hernandez, D. personal communication. June 25, 2016.
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