“This Intense Desire to Know the World”: Factors Influencing the Selection of Multicultural Children\u27s Literature

Multicultural children\u27s literature offers readers the opportunity to experience new perspectives and cultures or reaffirm and develop their socio-cultural identity (Boston & Baxley, 2007; Yokota, 2009). The availability of diverse titles for youth is critical in enhancing 21st Century literacy and social skills (AASL, 2007; Common Core, 2010; Krashen, 2004). The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing collection development and the selection of multicultural children\u27s literature in public library collections in geographically and demographically diverse communities across one southeastern state. Employing a mixed methods design, the researcher first surveyed ten library system collections totaling 70 libraries and library branches for three ethnic specific and two non-ethnic specific children\u27s literature awards: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (APAAL), Coretta Scott King Award, Pura Belpré Award, John Newbery Award, and Randolph Caldecott Award. The non-ethnic specific awards, the Caldecott and Newbery, were present most in the library collections with the King, Belpré, and APAAL following, respectively. The researcher used the surrounding demographics of each library to investigate the relationship between the diversity of the community and the collection (U.S. Census, 2011). The researcher also identified and surveyed librarians from each system who make selection decisions for the children\u27s section. Findings indicate a wide variety of factors influencing the selection of multicultural children\u27s literature. Using hierarchical regression analyses, the presence of the King and Belpré Award winners were found to be statistically significant predictors of the APAAL, suggesting that librarians use these lists for selecting multicultural children\u27s literature for their collections. The community demographics for each ethnic group were also found to be statistically significant predictors for each corresponding ethnic specific award. The interviewed librarians indicated formal and informal factors on selection including award lists; community needs assessment; and anticipated circulation. They highlighted challenges influencing the selection process with issues like the availability of quality multicultural literature, what is reviewed in selection aids they use, and their ability to select titles about cultures outside of their own experiences. Their responses support the importance of preservice and continuing education to provide opportunities for promoting library services to a globally diverse community

Vyrai ir vyriškumas: vyriškumo vaizdavimas apdovanojimų sulaukusios Australijos jaunimo literatūros rinkinyje

This research investigates the portrayal of masculinity in Australian young adult novels published in 2019. The novels were taken from the 2020 Children’s Books Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year for Older Readers Notables List. Established in 1946, these annual awards are considered the most prominent and prestigious in Australian children’s and young adult literature and are likely to be accessible and promoted to young readers in schools and libraries. The three texts studied were Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte, The Boy who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews, and This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield. Using a Critical Content Analysis methodology (Beach et al., 2009), researchers completed a review of the literature and theories around masculinity and chose to analyse three exemplary texts using the attributes of the Hegemonic Masculinity Schema (HMS) and Sensitive New Man Schema (SNMS) as described by Romøren and Stephens (2002). Attributes from the HMS include traits and behaviours like being violent, physical or verbal bullying, and hostile to difference while attributes from the SNMS include being supportive, affectionate, and considerate and respectful of the space and feelings of others (especially females). In this method, researchers identify examples of the attributes within the main characters and minor characters from each of the three books, recording quotes and noting critical incidents depicting aspects of masculinity. Notable findings of the research include the acknowledgment and portrayal of a particular conception of hegemonic masculinity in the selected novels often informed or shaped by the presence of dominant father figures and the absence of the concept of “the mother.” The characters who aligned to the schema used within this research are often overshadowed by a dominant father figure who conformed to an extreme version of hegemonic masculinity and who shaped their child’s actions even if the fathers were absent from the novel. The research reveals commonly held conceptions of masculinity aligned to those used in the schema and demonstrated that young adult literature, like popular media, can be used as a vehicle for the dissemination of such concepts and reveal contemporary understandings of it. Outputs from this research include the development of a modified and more contemporary schema which could be applied to future research. Significantly, this interdisciplinary research bridges the library, education and literature fields to examine the different ways maleness and masculinity are depicted to young adult readers in prize-nominated Australian young adult novels.Šiame tyrime nagrinėjamas vyriškumo vaizdavimas 2019 m. išleistuose Australijos jaunimui skirtuose romanuose. Romanai buvo pasirinkti iš 2020 m. Australijos vaikų knygų tarybos (angl. Children’s Books Council of Australia – CBCA) sudaryto Metų knygos vyresniems vaikams vertingų kūrinių sąrašo. Įsteigti 1946 m., šie kasmetiniai apdovanojimai yra laikomi žymiausiais ir labiausiai prestižiniais Australijos vaikų ir jaunimo literatūroje ir, tikėtina, bus pristatomi jauniesiems skaitytojams mokyklose bei bibliotekose. Trys nagrinėti tekstai buvo Astridos Scholte „Keturios mirusios karalienės“ (Four Dead Queens), C. G. Drews „Jaunasis įsilaužėlis“ (The Boy who Steals Houses) ir Vikki Wakefield „Štai kaip pakeičiame pabaigą“ (This is How We Change the Ending). Pasitelkdami kritinės turinio analizės metodiką (Beach ir kt., 2009), tyrėjai užbaigė literatūros ir vyriškumo teorijų apžvalgą ir pasirinko išnagrinėti tris pavyzdinius tekstus naudodami hegemoninio vyriškumo schemoje (HVS, angl. HMS) ir jautriojo naujojo žmogaus schemoje (JNŽS, angl. SNMS) nurodytus požymius, kuriuos aprašė Romørenas ir Stephensas (2002). HVS požymiai apima tokius bruožus ir elgesį kaip smurtą, fizines ar žodines patyčias ir nepakantumą kito skirtingumui, o JNŽS požymiai – palaikymą, švelnumą, dėmesingumą ir pagarbą kitų (ypač moterų) erdvei ir jausmams. Taikydami šį metodą, tyrėjai nustato kiekvienos iš trijų knygų pagrindinių ir nepilnamečių personažų požymių pavyzdžius išskirdami citatas ir atkreipdami dėmesį į esminius įvykius, atspindinčius vyriškumo aspektus. Įsidėmėtinos tyrimo išvados yra tam tikros hegemoninio vyriškumo sampratos pripažinimas ir vaizdavimas pasirinktuose romanuose, neretai pateikiamas ar formuojamas dėl dominuojančių tėvo paveikslo buvimo ir „motinos“ sąvokos nebuvimo. Šiuos herojus, siejamus su šiame tyrime naudojamos schemos požymiais, dažnai nustelbia dominuojanti tėvo figūra, atitinkanti kraštutinę hegemoninio vyriškumo versiją bei formavusi savo vaiko veiksmus tėvui net nedalyvaujant kūrinyje. Tyrimas atskleidžia dažniausiai pasitaikančias vyriškumo sampratas, suderintas su schemoje vartojamomis, ir atskleidė, kad jaunimo literatūra, kaip ir populiarioji žiniasklaida, gali būti naudojama kaip tokių sąvokų platinimo priemonė, atskleidžianti šiuolaikinį jos supratimą. Šio tyrimo rezultatai apima modifikuotos ir labiau šiuolaikiškos schemos sukūrimą, kurią būtų galima pritaikyti būsimiems tyrimams. Pažymėtina, kad šie tarpdisciplininiai tyrimai sujungia bibliotekas, švietimo ir literatūros sritis, kad būtų galima išnagrinėti skirtingus būdus, kaip vyriškumas yra pateikiamas jauniesiems skaitytojams apdovanojimams nominuotuose Australijos jaunimo romanuose

How Common is Common?

Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010) aims to develop students who are college and career ready in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. The standards also emphasize students\u27 need to understand other perspectives and cultures (p. 7). Appendix B of the document includes lists of exemplar texts (stories, read-aloud stories, poetry, and information texts) to help educators choose texts that meet the recommended qualities of complexity, quality, and range. This study examines the Appendix B stories and read-aloud stories at the K-5 levels for diversity in regard to publication year, genre, setting, and protagonist characteristics, including gender and racial and ethnic diversity. Inclusion of diverse texts enables the development of critical literacy skills so that students can consider multiple points of view and other\u27s\u27 differences

Translated Literature in Your Library: The Mildred L Batchelder Award

Translated books represent a unique bridge between cultures for young readers. This article discusses recent trends and practical applications for award-winning literature that has been translated into English and published in the United States. Winner and honour titles earning the Mildred L Batchelder Award for their publishers often include European languages of origins and settings. Despite this homogeneity, the books represent a quality option as a way to diversify a library collection for English-speaking patrons, particularly young adults, and to enhance teaching lessons with the integration of this global literature

Curation in Translation: Promoting Global Citizenship Through Literature

As curators of the school library collection, librarians ensure the resources they select are of high quality and that they meet students\u27 social needs, including diverse perspectives representative of our world and supportive of global citizenship skills and dispositions. The Mildred L. Batchelder Award given to English translations published in the United States is an option for librarians seeking such cultural diversity for their collections. Using the United Nations\u27 Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), the research identifies the strong potential these titles hold for engaging youth and promoting global citizenship

Youth services in the global learning community

The Youth Services SIG proposes a panel of six presentations focusing on youth, learning, and information in a global context. The purpose of the SIG session is (a) to present a diversity of current research that investigates youth learning in a global context, and (b) to engage the audience in discussing to what extent our teaching, research, service efforts account for the global context and exploring future directions for youth services in equipping contemporary young people for this diverse and global world. The peer-reviewed projects featured in the panel demonstrate youth services librarianship plays a critical role in youth learning in a global context, whether through public library story time, new literacy and fake news curriculums, community engagement and informal learning programs, graphic novels, or young adult literature on or for LGBTQAI+ (an inclusive term that refers to most all sexual and gender identities). Each presentation addresses this year’s conference theme, Exploring Learning in a Global Information Context, in a different, yet significant manner. These projects highlight how youth-centered librarianship promotes learning, global citizenship, global literacy, and cultural understandings and diversity—key competencies in the global information context. The panel will begin with a brief introduction by the moderators (5 minutes). A presentation on each project will follow (maximum 10 minutes per project—total 60 minutes). Finally, the panelists will engage the audience, opening the floor to questions and discussions on the implications for LIS educators and researchers (25 minutes)

Getting Online with Student Satisfaction: An Exploratory Study

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The University for the Poor : Portrayals of Class In Translated Children\u27s Literature

Background: Scholars of children\u27s literature have been investigating portrayals of females and racial groups for several decades, yet few have examined depictions of social class. Research on social class depictions in children\u27s literature is needed in order to identify books that affirm children\u27s class identities and offer portrayals of socioeconomic diversity. Focus of the Study: This study investigates portrayals of social class in 35 titles receiving the Batchelder Award or Honor between 2001 and 2013. The Batchelder Award recognizes outstanding translated books with international origins. International books for children were selected in this study because American titles are thought to be middle class in orientation; the researchers hypothesized that the international books might provide a more complex analysis of social class. Research Design: The inductive approach to qualitative content analysis was utilized. At least two researchers read and coded each book in the sample. The researchers examined passages referencing social class as well as other cultural constructs such as race/ethnicity, gender, religion, and nationality. Findings: The researchers identified several markers that served as indicators of social class status: living conditions, food, safety and protection, healthcare, leisure, education, occupation, residence, speech and mannerisms, clothing/dress, death rituals, and material possessions. Social class was often associated with other identities such as a character\u27s religion or ethnicity. Characters from typically marginalized class groups, such as the poor and the working class, were portrayed sensitively and with dignity. Conclusions: The markers of class identified in this study may serve as a framework for other researchers interested in examining class in children\u27s literature or media. The findings may help teachers and teacher educators identify and select books that realistically and respectfully portray members of different social classes

Literatura sobre “Bibliotecología y Ciencias de la Información” en Web of Science: Qué nos dice una década sobre la colaboración académica en el campo (2007-2016)

Ensuring access to published research is increasingly important for demonstrating research impact, supporting wide readership, creating interest in collaboration, and making way for funding opportunities. This article provides a bibliometric analysis of publications from 2007-2016 in the Web of Science (WOS) database to update understanding of recent international library science research as a means of discussing research impact and scientific collaboration. The methodology is a descriptive analysis of publications retrieved from the WOS database using keywords “library science” and WOS-generated subject descriptor “Information Science & Library Science.”  Analysis focused on descriptive data related to our research questions including representation of countries, languages, and journals. The findings reveal that most publications are published by researchers with institutional affiliations in the United States and in English. Library and information science research continues to be strong in collaboration, but international and interdisciplinary collaborations are still low in this sample. The dataset reflects that co- and multi-authored publications have the highest WOS citation counts, reinforcing the value of scholarly collaboration. This research provides a baseline to chart future growth in Library Science research publications and collaborations.Asegurar el acceso a la investigación publicada es cada vez más importante para demostrar el impacto de la investigación, apoyar un amplio número de lectores, crear interés en la colaboración y dar paso a oportunidades de financiamiento. Este artículo proporciona un análisis bibliométrico de las publicaciones 2007-2016 en la base de datos de Web of Science (WOS) para actualizar la comprensión de la internacionalización reciente de la investigación en el campo de la bibliotecología como medio para discutir el impacto de la investigación y la colaboración científica. La metodología es un análisis descriptivo de las publicaciones recuperadas de la base de datos de WOS, utilizando las palabras clave "Bibliotecología" y el encabezado de materia "Ciencia de la información y biblitecología" generado por WOS. El análisis se centró en datos descriptivos relacionados con las preguntas de investigación, incluida la representación de países, idiomas y revistas, así como patrones de autoría con colaboraciones internacionales, nacionales, intrainstitucionales e interdisciplinarias y recuentos de citas. Los hallazgos revelan que la mayoría de los artículos son publicados en inglés, por investigadores con afiliaciones institucionales en los Estados Unidos. Las investigaciones sobre Bibliotecología y Ciencias de la Información continúan siendo sólidas en colaboración, pero las colaboraciones internacionales e interdisciplinarias aún son bajas en esta muestra. El conjunto de datos refleja que las publicaciones de coautoría y de múltiples autores tienen el mayor número de citas de WOS, lo que refuerza el valor de la colaboración académica. Esta investigación proporciona una base para registrar el futuro crecimiento de las publicaciones y colaboraciones de investigación en Bibliotecología