Building on the conversation surrounding the We Need Diverse Books campaign and #DiverseCanLit on twitter this session aims to extend the discussion about diversity in Canadian literature for children and teens with a focus on collection development. Topics will include the importance of diverse representation for children and teens, resources for creating diverse collections and programs and how librarians can get involved with advocating for increased diversity in Canadian childrens publishing. This session will also feature book talks on new and upcoming titles from Canadian publishers.
Participants will:
1. Learn about new and upcoming diverse titles from Canadian publishers
2. Increase their knowledge of the role of librarians and patrons in advocacy, such as the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, and of online library advocacy campaigns in general.
3. Understand the importance of representation in literature for children and young adults, including representation of diverse races, sexualities, genders, cultures, religions and disabilities and increase their awareness of the current state of children’s publishing, understanding the unique challenges involved in collection development to meet the needs of diverse patrons.
