AASL Standards - Include

Diversity has been an important focus of conversations through my MLIS program, and I was excited to hear Sarah Jorgenson’s thoughts about the Include AASL standards. She is a middle school librarian in a school with high levels of diversity.

The primary way she implements the Include competencies is by purchasing a variety of books. She wants to make sure that the books reflect the community and the students’ interests. Book displays are also important in making sure that different people are highlighted regularly. She often tells students, “Every book is not for everyone, but the library has a book for everyone.” In a community that has challenged several book titles, this task can be tricky, but Jorgenson often invites parents into the library to show the diversity of her books and explain exactly why she makes certain book choices. She is actively explaining to the community that she is making book choices that reflect ALL of the diverse backgrounds and needs of the community.

The library also shows flexibility to provide for student needs, which vary greatly. Students have access to fiction and nonfiction titles, ebooks and audiobooks, games and craft supplies and more. There are multiple seating arrangements in the library like wobble stools, tall tables, and upholstered chairs. The library has flexible scheduling and moveable furniture to provide for a huge variety of student needs. Teachers can come in and reserve the space for lessons and events. Often large events like book tastings, gallery walks, and presentations are held in the space. Teachers can also reserve the space for class time and allow the students to spread out and work to record video/audio responses to assignments and to participate in other collaborative activities. The library also holds materials that students can use for their independent creation projects. There is a green screen, recording devices, die cuts, a printer and plenty of space for students to create their own learning. Teachers regularly display student work on the shelves, so students also love coming in to see their own work displayed.

Recently, teachers have become much more receptive to the idea of using the library as a space for more than book checkout, but there are still challenges to these include competencies. The biggest challenge that Jorgenson finds is making sure that she is finding materials that are representative of as many peoples as possible. She is concerned about this issue from the publishing level, as it can be difficult to find enough resources. She is excited about the conversation that has been highlighted by We Need Diverse Books. Hopefully the availability of these diverse materials continues to grow as more publishers see the need for diversity.

I enjoyed hearing more thoughts about how to make sure these competencies are implemented effectively in a school library. There are many exciting opportunities for a library when all students feel included.