Children's and YA Services: Inclusive Collections

An overview for performing a quick "collection check-up" by teacher/librarian Judith Snyder.

New York Times editorial by Denene Millner about the need for more books showing children of color having every day experiences.

Visit our collection development page for book lists, articles, blogs, and websites

Visit our Diverse Book Resources page for lists of websites that may help your curate your collection.

This KQED article by Kara Newhouse gives both practical tips as well as specific book recommendations.

The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children’s affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity.

Do you feel it is important to have a diverse children’s collection, but don’t always know where to start? The Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool (CAT), funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is specifically designed to help you diversify your picture book collection. This free, online resource allows you to upload a single file and get a snapshot of WHO is (which racial/cultural groups are) represented—and how—in your collection.

Atlantic interview with Philip Nel, scholar and professor of children's literature at Kansas State University, which addresses what to do about problematic classic children's literature in light of racist imagery and content.

Extensive list of book lists from the editors at We Need Diverse Books.

Bookshare makes reading easier. People with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers can customize their experience to suit their learning style and find virtually any book they need for school, work, or the joy of reading.

The Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) is a web-based service that provides access to more than one hundred thousand special-format books, magazines, and music scores available from the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS).

A curated book list that explores multifaceted identities of People of Color
(of the Global Majority) and provides context and calls for action

"The Brown Bookshelf is designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers. Our flagship initiative is 28 Days Later, a month-long showcase of the best in Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult novels written and illustrated by Black creators"

Search Collections: Curated Lists. You can identify and explore multicultural picture books. Their collection focuses on depictions of racial and cultural diversity published in the U.S. since 2002.

It is our hope that these lists of fiction titles that feature characters that have been historically underrepresented in children’s literature will provide windows and mirrors for the children of Westport and help to develop the empathy our society needs.

Teaching for Change carefully selects the best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

I’m Your Neighbor is a project which promotes the use of children’s literature featuring “new arrival” cultures and groups to engage the entire community in a discussion of commonalities and differences.

This is a blog done by a group of Florida Natives, ages 12-20, who are passionate and children's and young adult literature.

For over 30 years, Lambda Literary has championed LGBTQ books and authors. No other organization in the world serves LGBTQ writers and readers more comprehensively than Lambda Literary. We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer literature is fundamental to the preservation of our culture, and that LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories are written, published, and read.

Exploring the world of Latinx YA, MG and children's literature.

A Mighty Girl's book section features over 2,000 girl-empowering books starring stellar Mighty Girl characters.

Where can you go to find diverse books? Right here. Each of these sites offers lists of diverse titles.

Nic Stone, author of the best-selling young adult novel Dear Martin, explains why your anti-racist reading lists aren’t enough.

Nic Stone has multiple IGTV interviews with authors we know and love about such as "Let's Talk About Race" and "Decolonize Your Classroom."

Developed by Lee & Low, this tool is designed to help educators find out how culturally responsive and diverse their classroom library collections are.

Outline and sources from the Teen Librarian Toolbox series on collection diversity audits.

chool librarian Julie Stivers developed this simple tool to help librarians determine how diverse and inclusive their book collections are.