Topic: Diversity

Activity: Write a book review.

Description of the activity:

For this activity, I chose to write a book review of the Mem Fox picture book Whoever You Are (1997). I chose this book as it is a good introductory book to multiculturalism, awareness of difference, peace and tolerance for a pre-school audience. Diversity in the context of library services for children and young adults enables all library users to embrace the multicultural nature of our society, of exposing children to a vast array of cultures and languages. The reflection of diversity in library collections, programming, building design and staffing ensure that libraries are for everyone in the community. Diversity is not just limited to the common concepts of cultural or ethnic diversity, it also encompasses gender and sexuality and the variety of marriages, relationships and families that these all encompass.

What did I learn?

The close examination and assessment of children’s picture books is not a simple and straightforward task. Just as examining a piece of art can be a personal unique experience, questioning the illustrations, sentence structure and content of a picture book can be open to interpretation. In the process of reading picture books, at times the illustrator seems to have had no conversation with the author and has interpreted the words in a different way to the author, with illustrations at odds with the text. In the case of this book, the illustrations are a whimsical accompaniment to the words and support the theme of diversity, multiculturalism yet sameness amongst children across the globe.

How was the activity relevant to my professional practice?

Reviewing books, particularly children’s books is a valuable skill to develop when working with children. I am reviewing when selecting books for the collection, when choosing books for a storytime session and when making recommendations to families. When choosing books to present to a group for a particular theme, such as diversity, selection criteria must be taken into consideration. If the text is to be read aloud, it must flow smoothly, the illustrations cannot be too detailed or small and the content must be age appropriate. If it is a book to be shared between an adult and a child, these requirements are different.

Consideration of diversity in libraries is ever present, in the books that are purchased, the languages provided for, and the programs provided that promote inclusivity, such as language and support groups (Larsen, Jacobs & van Vlimmeren, 2003, p.5). This diversity should also extend to the provision of resources and programming for different genders, sexual orientation, religious preference, age, education level and socioeconomic status (Naidoo, 2014, p.2.).  The role of the public library in supporting and engaging with all community members, in particular children and young adults is a vital one to ensure the library’s relevance in an ever changing society.

Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed?

Libraries are valuable in the education of children in diversity and awareness of others. This development of social awareness needs to occur on a regular basis to avoid stereotyping or negative attitudes (Naidoo, 2014, p.6). This professional development activity has reminded me that we need to introduce topics and books on diversity on a more regular basis. As Naidoo states (2014, p.6) “it is imperative that diversity be included in library programs and displays routinely throughout the year”.

  

References

Larsen, J.I., Jacobs, D.L., & van Vlimmeren, T. (2003) Cultural diversity: how public libraries can serve the diversity in the community. ALIA 2004 Biennial Conference: Challenging Ideas. Gold Coast. Retrieved from http://conferences.alia.org.au/alia2004/pdfs/vlimmeren.t.paper.pdf

Naidoo, J.C., (2014). The importance of diversity in library programs and material collections for children. [white paper]  Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/ALSCwhitepaper_importance%20of%20diversity_with%20graphics_FINAL.pdf

Appendix B

Book Review

Fox, M. (1997). Whoever you are. Sydney: Hodder.

Whoever you are (1997) follows the journey taken by four children and an adult guide across the globe, discovering and exploring the diverse cultures of the world. The male guide, with apparent magical powers, dressed in a suit reflecting the sky and clouds, carries the children across the globe, exploring the many countries and cultures. The journey shows the children that despite many differences in schools, houses or clothing all children around the world are essentially the same. The narrative continues to describe differences in lifestyle, language and culture, returning to repeat the central message of despite any differences, inside all humans are alike. We all love, smile, hurt and cry. The book goes on to explain that even once we are grown, these differences still exist, but underneath we still share the same similarities.

While this book was published 18 years ago, it is still completely relevant when introducing the concept of diversity and tolerance to young children. The simple text, accompanied by the vibrant illustrations of Leslie Staub, show children in a simple manner how diversity can mean difference, while also showing our common humanity.

Each page is bordered with a bold, jewel encrusted frame. These frames dominate each page, making the pictures appear as pieces of art, perhaps appearing on each family’s wall. The illustrations do not try to suggest any particular country or culture, rather they show different ethnic appearances, various housing types and clothing, without implying any of these children could only be in any one particular country. I believe this is an important message within the book, that any of these children could live in any country throughout the world. I did note however, that there was no child that could be clearly identified as Australian Aboriginal, which I found surprising considering the author is Australian. I also noted that the illustrations are essentially the same, with eye, mouth and head shape very similar. This could either be to simplify the differences and just focus on skin, eye and hair colour or it may be due to the illustrator’s artistic style.

I highly recommend this book as a first introduction to diversity and multiculturalism. The text, with the accompanying illustrations, teaches children in a simple manner the concept of difference and cultural diversity. This book would be ideal for promotion when discussing cultural differences, such as during Harmony Day.

Topic: Censorship

Activity: Find, read and analyse a peer-reviewed journal article.

Description of activity:

For this activity, I chose to analyse a journal article from Bookbird, the journal of The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) (Analysis at Appendix A).  

The author Cherie Givens has composed an article on the issue of hidden forms of censorship in children’s literature. While reading the article, I took notes on the main arguments raised by the author, the references used within the article and the conclusion. During the analysis I noted that the article is based upon a study conducted in Canada in 2007, however there is very little information in regard to the study and there is no indication as to how many people were interviewed, how the interviewees were selected and details of their backgrounds. 

What did I learn?

The activity was both a practical experience in selecting an article, analytical writing, and exploration into the controversial issue of censorship. I located this article following a search of the Charles Sturt University Library catalogue by limiting my search to articles from 2005 onwards and peer reviewed journal articles.  Although the article is not of Australian origin, the topic of hidden forms of censorship may very well apply to the Australian publishing industry.

The censorship of children’s literature can have many implications, particularly when censorship changes the way in which children are educated or the literature to which they are exposed. As Reichman (2001, p.4) states, “the purpose of education is not only to promote factual information, but to develop in the young the ability to discriminate and choose”. To develop this skill, children and young adults by necessity should be exposed to a wide range of writing, authors and illustrators with varying opinions and backgrounds.

To discover the validity of the article, I searched for additional articles that supported the prevalence of these forms of censorship. I had already discovered an article that discussed a similar notion of the power wielded by book award committees for my blog entry on this topic (Mcleod, 2011). This was supported by Kidd (2008, p.200) who discusses the change from censorship of controversial books to the promotion of ‘good’ books in the form of prizing. An article published this year in The Weekly Standard (Anon, 2015, p.5) condemned Oxford University Press for developing a new series of guidelines that advises authors to avoid using references to pigs or sausage to avoid censorship.

How was the activity relevant to my professional practice?

Writing an analysis of a journal article was a valuable experience, not just in the process of writing a review, but also in the process of reading and selecting journal articles on the topic. When working in the industry, very little time is given to reading current articles for professional development and this process has reminded me of the importance of keeping abreast with current topics. This in turn forces me to think critically about the library in which I work, my selection for the collection and ensuring that I do not censor my selections with any personal ideals or beliefs.

Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed?

The process of finding a journal article and writing an analysis on a particular topic was one that I have not embarked upon for many years. Finding a relevant peer-reviewed article and analysing it was a useful and practical activity. I can apply this practice back to my own position in a public library where I am at times called upon to assist TAFE and University students with their assignments.

The article topic was an interesting, if controversial one. I was aware that there is a certain amount of editing of children’s literature, particularly educational material. However the concept of pre-publication censorship taking place to avoid post-publication censorship was a concept I had not considered. As this article was written and based on issued in the Canadian publication industry, it would be of interest to seek similar studies in the Australian context.

References

Kidd, K. (2009). “Not censorship but selection”: Censorship and/as prizing. Children’s Literature in Education. (40). pp. 197–216. doi: 10.1007/s10583-008-9078-4

McLeod, M. (2011). The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and the         image problem. Access. 25(1), 27-34. Retrieved from                      http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/861637419?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo

Reichman, H. (2001). Censorship and selection: issues and answers for schools. (3^rd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved from Google Books.

This little piggy got banned. (2015, January 26). The Weekly Standard. pp 4-5.

Appendix A

Journal Analysis

Givens, C. (2009) Hidden forms of censorship and their impact. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 47, 22-28. doi: 10.1353/bkb.0.0184.

Censorship of children’s and young adult written material is a common yet controversial issue that arises both in public and school library settings. We often think of censorship as being the removal or control of items that are allowed in a library. This article focuses instead on pre-publication censorship, the unseen censorship placed on authors, illustrators and publishers. The author, Givens, discusses the results of a series of interviews that took place in Canada in 2007, asking authors and illustrators to share their experiences of pre-publication censorship.

A number of interviewees, all of which remained anonymous, shared situations of having been advised to change names, gender, ethnicity and age of central characters in an attempt to avoid post publication censorship. Givens suggests that the pre-publication censorship is obvious in both children’s fiction and non-fiction educational publications. Censorship may be in the form of removing content that is too biased towards a particular religion or considered too sensitive, such as mentioning Halloween. Books may have their content adjusted if it shows a particular political stance or leaning, such as showing support for the monarchy.

The final form of hidden censorship discussed in the article is that of book awards. Given suggests that the selection of books for short lists in book awards can itself be a form of censorship. This argument is supported by the experiences of one author who discovered her book had been rejected by just one awards panelist based on her own understanding of some Italian words used in the book. Authors know that being on a short list of a book award can significantly increase not just the sale of their books but also its exposure and acceptance as a quality text.

  

This article raises some interesting questions in regard to hidden forms of censorship. The use of examples from the 2007 interviews shows how prevalent these forms of censorship may be, in particular the subtle changes being made pre-publication to suit the perceived requirements of the public. The thought that publishers are changing and influencing authors works to avoid complaints or censorship post publication is somewhat disturbing. The interviewees were from a number of different countries, so this is not an issue that is arising just in one location.

Overall, this article raises some interesting considerations when selecting books. One thought in particular is to ensure that when selecting books, it is from a variety of publishers to avoid having a collection dominated by any one publisher’s material and in turn their particular guidelines or policies on what is currently controversial and objectionable.

Topic: Young People’s Book Awards

Activity: Create and Upload a Virtual Presentation for children or young adults.

In order to promote and learn more about book awards for children and young adults, I created and uploaded a presentation to Slideshare introducing this topic. While I have made a number of presentations prior to this exercise, I had never used an online program such as Slideshare to do so. When designing the presentation, I wanted to keep it simple and straightforward as my intended audience were children and young adults. A presentation of this kind would be useful during Book Week for example, to give students a brief overview of the various book awards that are presently running.

What did you learn?

Online presentations are a popular way of expressing information, sharing knowledge and teaching. Before I began making my presentation I started by viewing some of the many slide presentations available on Slideshare and was surprised by the enormous range of presentations available. I was also impressed by how professional the presentations appeared and intended to try making a similar presentation using the Slideshare software.

How was the activity relevant to your professional practice as a librarian for children and young adults?

In my role as a Children’s Librarian in a public library, I present to a wide range of groups and age ranges on a variety of topics. Presenting information, be it virtual or otherwise, is a useful method of engaging with children and young adults. Most groups that I have visiting in the library or that I visit during outreach sessions are under one hour, therefore presentations need to be succinct and precise. Often presentations can be followed up with further research or study under the guidance of the teacher, so a presentation usually does not require excessive information or detail. Learning to create and upload virtual presentations is a very useful activity as  such presentations can be embedded into the library website, shared through online media such as the library Facebook page and shared with schools and other community groups.

Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed?

Prior to this activity, I was unaware of how many presentations were available to view and use via such websites as Slideshare. With further investigation, I am sure that there are a number of presentations that I could use either for training purposes or for the same purpose as the presentation I created; for sharing information to children and youth. I found the Slideshare program to be rather difficult to use and edit, therefore I created the presentation in Office Powerpoint and uploaded it to the Slideshare website.

Reflection

Young People’s book awards are extremely important in acknowledging the quality and importance of literature for children and young adults. There is an amazing breadth of quality and talent in this category of author and illustrator and having this talent recognised nationally promotes the value and importance of literature for children. I decided to keep my presentation focused just on awards in Australia, as the presentation could become overwhelming for the intended audience if I started covering awards in other countries.

In Australia, the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has one of the most highly recognised group of awards, including the Book of the Year Awards for Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood and Picture Book of the Year. The judges are selected from each state with panel criteria requiring them to be involved in the industry, but with no vested interests, such as a teacher or librarian (MacLeod, 2011, p. 29). The CBCA has maintained a standard of literary quality in their selection of short listed and winning books and as stated by MacLeod (2011, p. 33) leaves the promotion of popular children’s books to the state based choice awards. Both type of award is important in the overall promotion of literacy and the relevance of books and reading however the involvement of children’s popular choice awards allows young people the opportunity to make choices regarding their favourite books without the intervention of adults (Court, 2011, p.155).

To view the presentation: https://www.slideshare.net/secret/eioKau5h8tuprS

References

Court, J. (2011). Read to succeed: strategies to engage children and young people in reading for pleasure. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com

Mcleod, M. (2011). The Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and the image problem. Access. 25(1), 27-34. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au

Topic: My Choice - Lynley Dodd - A Retrospective (and the value of our State Library Service)

Activity: Observe and document a program delivered for children or young adults at a local library, reflect on the experience.

On the 29th of March I attended the Lynley Dodd – A Retrospective exhibition launch at the State Library of South Australia (SLSA). This was a free event hosted by the SLSA and included a free Hairy Maclary family fun day for the public. I attended, along with my children, the invitation only exhibition opening, which was open to all South Australian public library staff and their families. The launch was attended by approximately 100 adults and children with the SLSA director, Alan Smith welcoming Dame Lynley Dodd to Adelaide. This was followed by Dame Lynley speaking about the exhibition and about the successful Hairy Maclary book series, one which I have personally always loved and shared with my children from birth. The opening also included a performance by children’s entertainer Peter Coombe, who sang one song, with the audience joining in, after which we were invited to view the exhibition itself. 

 Source: http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au

What did you learn?

From attending this launch, I was able to assess how the State Library of South Australia presents authors, how they launch exhibitions and run sessions. This was the first time in the five years I have lived in South Australia that the SLSA has run such a large scale program for children and families. Judging by the unanticipated numbers that attended the event, there is a great demand for literary-based events such as this for families of young children.

The event also gave me the opportunity to watch a storytime session run by The Little Big Book Club team. The Little Big Book Club provide training across the state in early childhood literacy and the presentation of preschool sessions, therefore it was of great value to observe their methods of presenting. I noted during their session that they kept their composure and presented well considering they were performing to a very large and excitable group in a very cramped and difficult space. They presented a mixture of nursery rhymes, songs and read several of Lynley Dodd’s picture books.

The Hairy Maclary Fun Day should be touted as a huge success. I suspect the SLSA did not anticipate the volume of families that would attend the fun day, therefore the setup and amount of entertainment appeared to be insufficient. When we emerged from the Mortlock Wing which is on the second floor, it was to a view of hundreds of families waiting to enter the library.

Before the crowds really arrived! Source: www.slsa.sa.gov.au

How was the activity relevant to your professional practice as a librarian for children or young adults?

Attending this kind of large scale event allowed me the opportunity to consider how the public view events that are held by libraries and the value that is placed on literary events and programs aimed at children and their families. This event, if anything, should have proven to library staff in Adelaide just how many residents value picture books, children’s authors and entertainment that is suitable for families of young children. As this is the same audience that the programs I prepare are aimed, it was valuable to assess this from the perspective of the audience, rather than the presenter, although we would never run any session with quite this volume of attendees!

Were there any gaps in your knowledge revealed? 

This event caused me to reconsider how I think about the role of the State Library of South Australia in promoting and providing literacy experiences for the public. The vast promotional capabilities and the location of the library within the city centre means the State Library is the library for all residents, not just a local government area, as with public libraries. This equitable access means that events such as this, rather than being a rarity, should be a regular occurrence with the capabilities to bring similar exhibitions or tours to the capital city.  After reviewing the State Library of South Australia’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017, I noted that one of the five priorities for this period is “Engaging with children and their families as the next generation of users so that they know about their history and place in the world” (p.2).  I believe that as this is a focus area for the development of the service, they have made a good start in changing how the service is viewed by the public.

My children with Dame Lynley Dodd.

References

State Library of South Australia. (n.d.) Strategic Plan 2014-2017. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/State_Library_of_SA_Strategic_Plan_2014-2017_-_Low_Resolution.pdf

Topic One: Digital materials/resources and emerging technologies.

Activity: Learn how to use a new tool, software, or game, and write about your experience.

Description of Activity

In preparation for the next school holidays (April) I have purchased MinecraftEdu with ten licenses for the library in which I work (downloaded from www.minecraftedu.com). The library will be running a Minecraft Club for the duration of the holidays in our Learning Lounge which holds ten laptops. The sessions will be run on a local server, allowing gamers that are new to Minecraft the chance to try multiplayer for perhaps the first time and more experienced players an opportunity to show off their skills. The sessions will be held daily on a drop-in basis so that we can assess the popularity of the sessions, the length of time gamers stay and the ways in which they use the club.  

Having played Minecraft at home with my own children, on both PC and Xbox, I was fairly certain that I would be able to download, install and run the sessions on the library laptops. This process did prove to be fairly straightforward, with the assistance of Council’s IT Department as there were some steps that required additional permissions. The actual setup of the program was also quite straightforward as although it has a different launcher program to the public Minecraft game, the world setup was very similar. From this point a number of decisions had to be made in regard to restrictions and controls we wished to place on the game, world setup, challenges and activities.

What did you learn?

MinecraftEdu is a variation of the original Minecraft that includes capabilities to restrict and control various elements of the game. These controls allow the teacher or game leader to set up challenges, restrict usage and monitor behaviour. During the setup, I discovered I can limit options such as controlling night mode, which would speed up game play, I can turn off mobs (the various animals and creatures within the game) and control options such as excluding TNT and selecting creative or survival mode. I also have the capability to control the gamers, by moving them around the game, restricting their game play and removing them from the game. This may prove useful if the gamers are not following the rules or being fair to others.

According to the MinecraftEdu website, there are numerous activities, maps and worlds that other users, teachers and libraries have uploaded to the website and are free for us to utilise. I am hoping that during the school term we can continue the Minecraft Club, with a different theme, activity or challenge for the participants to engage with on a fortnightly basis. An evaluation of the popularity and success of the Minecraft Club during the holidays will determine whether this continues.

How was the activity relevant to your professional practice as a librarian for children and young adults?

I have been very interested in getting a Minecraft Club up and running in the library for some time, both as an addition to our usual school holiday program, but also as a means to engage with a wide variety of ages during the holidays. Our general holiday sessions tend to attract five to nine year olds and while Minecraft appeals to this age group, I also hope to attract the ten to 15 year olds that do not frequent the library during school holidays to the same degree. I also hope that those children that do not have access to a computer in the home will be able to experience the game and share this experience with their peers.

Were any gaps in your knowledge revealed? How might you fill those gaps?

There were (and are still!) quite a few gaps in my knowledge in regard to the installation of a game such as Minecraft onto a LAN server. I am hoping, as the holidays approach, I will have a better understanding of the game and with the help of our library student trainee, I can develop the skills needed to run the Minecraft Club successfully. I am also counting on the kids that will come along being knowledgeable about the game, and I am sure I will pick up tips as I go along.

Minecraft is not just a game; that is obvious by the number of schools that use the Minecraft Edu version. The capability to engage children in learning via a game is such a powerful tool. The children are using a variety of concepts and skills and developing these skills while having fun and as Tromba (2013, p.22) stated in an article about teaching with Minecraft, it “is a great way to build teamwork and to build community”. Children, at the present time, are more than comfortable learning and playing in a digital environment, they are confident in this world and they enjoy a challenge. In Minecraft, children are having to read and write, solve problems, work in teams, use maths concepts, all while ‘playing’ the game; these are all skills that I am more than happy to encourage in the library.

References:

Cipollone, M., Schifter, C. C., & Moffat, R. A. (2014). Minecraft as a creative tool: A case study. International Journal of Game-Based Learning. (2). pp. 1-14. doi:10.4018/ijgbl.2014040101.

Gauquier, E. & Schneider, J. (2013). Minecraft programs in the library: If you build it they will come. Young Adult Library Services. (11). pp. 17-19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/docview/1317657066?accountid=10344

Tromba, P. (2013), Build engagement and knowledge one block at a time with Minecraft. Learning & Leading with Technology, (40). pp. 20-23. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.