Black History Month on Pinterest

Repost from School Library Journal online

School Library Journal recently contacted me to create a Black History Board for their Pinterest page.  The page is now live.....ENJOY!

'The Journey with Follett: From Chicago to East St. Louis, IL'

Here's a recent presentation I gave describing how Follett Libraries has been the #1 source of support for me when purchasing of multicultural books for my school library.

Follett Solutions Library Professional Development

Parkway School District - St. Louis County, Missouri

Presentation  
'The Journey with Follett:  
From Chicago to East St. Louis, IL'

Follett Webinar Archived Recording

Recently I served as a presenter for Follett Library's Webinar Series, "Promoting Promoting Inclusion, Social Equity and Diversity in Your Library." Presenting with Michelle Martin and Craig Seasholes was a treat and I have a deeper understanding and respect for the work that they are doing. Also, having the opportunity to give three of my favorite scholars (Drs. Keith Curry Lance, Elfreda Chatman & Stephen Krashen) public kudos, simply made my day.

If you would like to view the webinar or download the slide presentation, click the following link and you will be re-directed to a landing page where you can select the option of your choice.

Promoting Inclusion, Social Equity and Diversity in Your Library

Enjoy!

New Books!

  

This video will never get old.  This is what happened when my Anime Club members received my message that their new books had arrived....

Librarian #Shero, Vivian Gordon Harsh

#BlackHistoryMonth2017
Described as “the historian who never wrote,” Vivian Gordon Harsh was the first African American librarian in the Chicago Public Library system and a significant contributor to Chicago's Black Renaissance. Vivian Gordon Harsh devoted her life to building one of the most important research collections on African-American history and literature in the country.

Image courtesy of BlackPast.org

Fresh out of high school, Vivian Harsh began work in 1909 as a junior clerk at the Chicago Public Library where she would remain during her 60-year career. In 1921, she received her B.A. in library science from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, and later took advanced courses at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Library Science. 

In 1924 she became the city’s first black professional librarian. Through her involvement with The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History founded by Carter G. Woodson, Harsh recognized the need for library services on Chicago’s south side, the heart of the city’s African American community.

The library itself became a Mecca for literary and cultural icons of the period including Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Zora Neal Huston, and Gwendolyn Brooks, some of whom contributed manuscripts to the institution. The resources first accumulated by Harsh and Rollins in the 1920s have grown into the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature, the largest of its kind in the Midwest and currently located at the city’s Carter G. Woodson Regional Library.

Source: http://www.blackpast.org/
#schoollibraries #tlchat #boss_librarian #librariesofinstagram #shero #library #libraries #librarian #blackhistorymonth

Book Review: Dear Yvette by Ni-Ni Simone

"Dear Yvette" by Ni-Ni Simone

Dear Yvette

by Simone, Ni-Ni 

December 2016

256p. Kensington, paperback,

$9.95 (9780758287762)

Grades 9^th-12^th

In her latest, Simone (‘Throwback Series: Down by Law,”) tackles the topic of second generation families who are wounded by the 80’s drug epidemic within the African-American community.    

Yvette Lavonne Simmons is a sixteen year old mother of a two year old daughter and lives in the DaBricks, one of the toughest housing projects in the Brick City, New Jersey.  Yvette has no stable family, dismal homelife and lacks the guidance of her absentee drug addict parents.   After a street fight ended in a second degree murder charge, her case worker, Janette sends Yvette and her child to a professional parent home in Norfolk, Virginia.  It is here that she is given the opportunity to start over under the guidance of the stern and loving Aunt Glo.   It is Aunt Glo breaks through the teen’s angry and defensive walls and teaches her that she is worthy of a second chance and receiving love.   Other characters such as housemate, Tasha and romantic suitor Brooklyn also help Yvette through this journey of self-awakening.   

Simone cleverly uses the music and culture of the 80’s as a colorful backdrop for Yvette’s story.   High school teachers, librarians and social workers can effectively use “Dear Yvette,” as a cautionary tale for troubled teens.  Overall, this story is a must read for teen street literature fans and should not be missed.   
By K.C. Boyd, Lead Librarian-East St. Louis School District, East St. Louis, Illinois

                               

Source:  Booklist Magazine.  December, 2016

My Man Krashen!

     I am a huge fan of Dr. Stephen Krashen's work.  Krashen is a linguist, education researcher and activist.  He is also the professor emeritus at the University of Southern California.  I have used his research when writing papers and projects for class.  Over the last five years, I've been using his research to effectively advocate for school libraries and librarians.  His work has greatly helped me when I have debated administrators and district officials on the importance funding equity for the school library.

This is my favorite Krashen quote:

This image was created by Chris Ridell.

In this video, Krashen advocates for school libraries in the Los Angeles Unified School District.