FYI,

 

Hi, Everyone,

 

I attended a webinar last night on an online resource that I wanted to share with you in case you might not be familiar with it. It’s called Diverse BookFinder (as opposed to the more familiar We Need Diverse Books): https://diversebookfinder.org/. It’s a comprehensive collection of children's picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC). 

Here’s a bit more about it:

 

What is our mission?

• To inform the diverse books movement by providing data and translating research so that it is accessible and useful.
• To move the diverse books discussion beyond a focus on increasing the number of books to a deeper consideration of how Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) are represented within diverse books.
• To identify dominant trends in representations of BIPOC by exploring who (which racial/cultural groups) is represented in current diverse picture books and how (what messages are being sent).

What makes us unique?

The important discussion about representation within the diverse books movement is typically centered around:

• a broad focus on “diverse” vs. “non-diverse” books -- which compares books featuring BIPOC to those featuring white (or animal characters, in the case of picture books) -- to highlight disparities.
• a specific focus on “good” vs. “bad” books -- which reviews diverse books for authentic vs. problematic (offensive or stereotypical) representations of BIPOC.

While comparing books featuring BIPOC to those with white (or animal) characters reveals important disparities about who is missing, it can also reinforce Whiteness as the industry standard. And while careful review of some diverse books can provide necessary critical education for readers, it cannot identify trends in representations of BIPOC without broader data focused on ALL diverse books.

Our unique focus on collecting and analyzing ALL current picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC)Opens in a new window allows us to consider diverse books in relation to each other and identify representation trends within the world of "diverse books" itself.

Combining the above approaches gives us all more in-depth information about where we are now and where we need to go next.

What resources do we provide?

We've cataloged and analyzed thousands of children's trade picture books published or distributed in the U.S. since 2002 to surface and create:

A Unique Circulating CollectionOpens in a new window: We collect all depictions of BIPOC characters in picture books. Anyone with a library card can check these books out through Interlibrary Loan. (Not currently circulating items during the pandemic)

A Search ToolOpens in a new window: We offer a first-of-its-kind online, searchable database that makes it easier for everyone to locate and explore picture books featuring BIPOC characters.

A Source of Critical DataOpens in a new window: We provide real-time data on WHO is (which BIPOC characters are) depicted and -- using our unique book categoriesOpens in a new window -- HOW they are depicted in diverse picture books.

A Collection Analysis ToolOpens in a new window: We offer a free, online tool designed to help libraries diversify their picture book collections.

They are continuously adding more titles to the collection. I hope you might find it useful.

 

~Sharon

 

All the best,

 

Sharon Rawlins, MLS

Youth Services Specialist for Lifelong Learning

NJ State Library

185 West State St.

P.O. Box 520

Trenton, NJ 08625-0520

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609-278-2640 ext. 116

609-278-2650 – fax

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