ALSCwhitepaper - Importance of Diversity FINAL - 1
ALSCwhitepaper - Importance of Diversity FINAL - 1
ALSCwhitepaper - Importance of Diversity FINAL - 1
Written for the Association for Library Service to Children by Jamie Campbell
Naidoo, PhD
Abstract
diversify, it is essential that children learn to understand the important role of their
culture and the cultures of other people in creating an overall global culture
respectful of differences. One way that children learn about the world around
them and other cultures is through the social messages found in stories. Stories
help children understand how society perceives their culture as well as the
their social and identity development. Stories can be found in traditional print
materials for children or in newer digital formats. Regardless of the format for
delivering a story’s message, children are greatly influenced by the stories they
encounter. One place that children can interact with stories on a regular basis is
the library. Through its materials collections and programs, the library introduces
children to many stories, starting at a very young age. This white paper
emphasizes the importance of developing print and digital library collections that
reflect cultural diversity, and details how librarians can promote cultural
communities and the larger world. It concludes that stories reflecting diversity
includes shared characteristics that define how a person lives, thinks, and
dress, and language. Typically people from the same cultural group share similar
education level, and domicile are all aspects of a person’s culture. Children
experience culture by way of their families’ values and practices, in their daily
interactions with others in school and throughout the community, and through the
stories and characters they encounter in books, television programs and films,
music, video and computer games, digital apps, and other forms of print and
digital media.
informs us that language and culture play a significant role in a child’s social and
practices have the ability to moderate the way children think and learn. A child’s
self-esteem is largely influenced by the way the child and overall society views
the cultural group to which the child belongs. Vygotsky explains that children use
expressive media such as books to understand the world around them. Bishop
(1997) also acknowledges the power of children’s stories to influence a child’s
perception and suggests that children’s literature can serve as a mirror reflecting
a child’s own life and culture, or as a window allowing children to peer into the
lives of others. Books and other print and digital media convey to children how
the world perceives people who are like them as well as people who are different.
By the time they are toddlers, children have begun to develop a sense of self that
is informed by the world around them (Hughes-Hassell and Cox 2010). Children’s
materials that accurately portray diversity in multiple languages and cultures can
have a positive influence on a child’s self-image and help him or her build bridges
of cultural understanding. All children want to see images that reflect themselves
and encounter stories in their native language and within the context of their
allow all children to meet people like themselves and develop an appreciation for
the beauty of their culture and the cultures of others. Children’s book author and
illustrator Christopher Myers observes that books can also serve as road maps
leading children to their destinies. Through the stories they encounter, children
develop “an atlas of their world, of their relationships to others, [and] of their
diverse languages and cultures can equally influence children. If children are
consistently exposed to books and other media that negatively represent their
culture, then it is likely they will internalize these social messages and develop a
cultural group reinforces stereotypes in children outside the culture (W. Myers
2014). Children’s picture books are some of the earliest forms of media that
teach children about diversity in the world. Social messages that young children
glean from picture books will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives
The absence of a child’s culture from the stories in print and digital media
can also be problematic. When children never see their culture represented in a
message that the librarian does not think their culture is important enough to
feature in the library. This invisibility within the library’s programs and materials
can equally be harmful to a child’s self-image. Latina children’s book author and
illustrator Maya Christina Gonzalez recalls that as a young child she felt lost in
the library among the rows of books that reflected the lives of other children but
not her Latino culture. Although she would often draw herself on the inside
covers of her coloring books, she still did not feel important because there were
no “real” hardcover library books depicting her experiences (2011). The problem
standing one. In 1941, Charlemae Hill Rollins observed that few children’s books
depicting African Americans were available and those that were accessible
reemphasized the lack of diversity in children’s books in her seminal article “The
Americans, American Indians, people with disabilities, and gays and lesbians. In
Children's Books for Sexism and Racism, that are still used by librarians today to
overall number of books published each year, these books were greatly
where stories about people of color (and other minorities) are relegated to
townships, while stories about animals and White characters compose the
Every year since 1994, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the
books published about American Indians, Asian Americans, Latinos, and African
United States represented these populations. Twenty years later, this number is
virtually the same, indicating that many children in the United States still do not
class children do. As previously indicated, this lack of diversity in children’s books
not only in their local community but also the larger world (Baker 1955; White
1964; Tate 1971; Larson 2011). Diversity in library programming allows children
highlight cultural and linguistic diversity provides opportunities for children and
awareness of one’s own culture and the contributions of other cultures, the ability
to interact with other individuals from diverse cultures, and an understanding of
how cultures are integrated together within our larger society (Montiel-Overall
environments that help children develop a positive sense of self, explore the
larger world around them, and celebrate the accomplishments of people from
literacy initiative El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book
Day), or Día for short. Developed in 1996 by Latina author Pat Mora along with
cultural and linguistic diversity. Housed at the Association for Library Service to
The goals of Día include celebrating children and connecting them to the world of
learning through books, stories, and libraries; nurturing cognitive and literacy
development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and
Día can be celebrated year-round with culminating events on April 30, the
official day for celebrating children and books. Librarians who recognize Día as a
daily commitment and incorporate its goals into their regular programming
programs.
Position
connect to the larger world, libraries can play an integral role in helping them
develop understanding and respect for other people from diverse cultural and
children learn to understand the important role of their culture and the cultures of
including diversity in its programs and collections, the library has the potential for
Both the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Growing Young Minds:
How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners (2013) and the Pew
Research Center’s Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading (Miller et al. 2013)
attest to the important role of the library as one of the first teachers of young
When libraries offer culturally authentic materials and displays, they convey the
importance of using print and digital media to learn how different cultures share
commonalities that make us very similar, but also have unique traits that enrich
the world. By delivering culturally responsive programs such as Día, libraries (1)
link home cultures with the larger social culture to promote traditional literacy; (2)
2013). Studies indicate that by preschool age, young children reveal stereotypes
and negative behaviors towards those they perceive as different. These learned
attitudes are fostered by the views of parents, caregivers, educators, and peers
and by the social messages that reading materials convey about a particular
culture. Librarians can help children develop favorable attitudes towards those
children’s materials
• convey the richness and beauty of the diverse cultures in the United
States;
When selecting books for the library collection or to use in library programs, it is
experiences are different from their own. Children need a global perspective on
the world in order to develop cultural competence and move beyond their
immediate environment. They need to hear more than one story once a year
about a particular cultural group. Adichie (2009) warns that a single story can
and exile cultural explorations to holidays and specialized heritage months: Black
History Month, Chinese New Year, Native American Heritage Month, Hanukkah,
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, Day of the Dead, and so on. If a child is
only introduced to books about her culture one time a year, then she internalizes
that the librarian thinks she or her culture is not important. What if this one-month
misinformation? What is the culturally diverse child internalizing and what are her
classmates learning about her culture? Even the highest quality materials and
culturally authentic activities are irrelevant if children learn that their particular
culture or the culture of their peers is not good enough to study or talk about
collections, programs, and displays on a daily basis, other children are lucky if
they get their own special month or day. It is imperative that diversity be included
Similarly, if children are not exposed to the lives, cultures, and languages
of children from around the world, they miss the opportunity to learn how to
how cultural differences, personal decisions, and social issues impact lives at a
global level. At the same time, these children engage in local, national, or
international social justice projects that reach out to their counterparts around the
competence can start in the children’s library by way of collections and programs
diversity based upon culture, ethnicity, linguistic ability, religion, physical ability,
immigration status, and sexual orientation. However, some librarians may not
know how to offer these types of programs; instead they attempt to promote
the five Fs—foods, festivals, folklore, fashion, and famous people of a particular
culture—rather than exploring the daily interactions of people within that culture.
Ostensibly this practice may not seem objectionable, but it cannot be the only
way to introduce and explore cultures in the library. Children need opportunities
for meaningful engagement with cultures that are different from their own.
elements that are exotic, flashy, or quaint. Introducing children to unusual fashion
children can give them a distorted view of a particular culture. When librarians
people either from the culture being profiled or with considerable knowledge
about and experience related to the culture. Librarians should examine the
informational books will use the same photo in multiple editions of a book, only
represent the contemporary lives of South Africans features photos taken before
apartheid ended.
through quality children’s materials (print and digital) and promote cross-cultural
numerous opportunities for children and their families to learn about new
library program, librarians share books and other materials about diverse cultures
avenues for infusing cultural competence into their programs and services. Día
allows libraries to build bridges between home cultures and languages and those
of the school, library, larger community, and world. With its focus on celebrating
diverse languages and cultures, Día provides a model for librarians interested in
developing programs responsive to the needs of their local community. For
programs to be successful, Garcia and Hasson (2004) note that librarians must
design experiences that focus on the daily realities relevant to target populations.
that propel the library into culturally diverse communities or partner with local
should reflect the interests and goals of the target population. The most
development and delivery, and marketing. For years, public libraries have
embraced Día as the cultural programming model for reaching culturally and
While the name Día is the Spanish word for day, Día can also stand for
“Diversity in Action.” When librarians embrace the charge of the literacy initiative
that the principles of Día can be used throughout the year to promote cultural
competence every day in library programs and collections. By making every day
a Día day, librarians make a daily commitment to serving all children with
resources and programs that foster global understanding, language learning, and
cultural explorations. In doing so, libraries are able to deliver content-rich, age-
appropriate early literacy programs for all children and provide access to high-
quality, engaging print and digital material collections that help children develop a
for all librarians meeting the informational and recreational needs of their local
communities. Children’s print and digital materials should represent all types of
throughout the year that celebrate cultural diversity and provide opportunities for
incorporating diversity into their daily library practices and emphasizes the
library’s commitment to serving all children from diverse cultural and linguistic
backgrounds. Día offers library administrators and staff a replicable model, useful
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Author’s Note: Jamie Campbell Naidoo is a current member of the ALSC Board
paper stem from his expertise in the areas of diversity in children’s materials and
library programming for diverse populations. He authored this paper based upon