Subject Guides: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Collection Development

Why Do We Need Diverse Books?

Full citation: Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen. (2019 June 19). Diversity in Children’s Books 2018. sarahpark.com blog. Created in consultation with Edith Campbell, Molly Beth Griffin, K. T. Horning, Debbie Reese, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and Madeline Tyner, with statistics compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison: https://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/literature-resources/ccbc-diversity-statistics/books-by-about-poc-fnn/. Retrieved from https://readingspark.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/picture-this-diversity-in-childrens-books-2018-infographic/.

Where is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results (Lee and Low Books)

General Resources

Diversity Audits

Diverse Book Awards

American Indian Youth Literature Award
Américas Award
Children’s and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
Books about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage. Includes books for children to adults, fiction and non-fiction.
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award
Books with characters with developmental disabilities
Hans Christian Andersen Award
international award given to an author and an illustrator of children's books
Middle East Book Award
Books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to understanding of the Middle East
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Children's books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States.
Notable Books for a Global Society
Children's books enhancing understanding of people and cultures throughout the world.
Pura Belpré Award
Books for children and youth that portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
Schneider Family Book Award
Books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Stonewall Book Awards
Books with exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
Tomás Rivera Book Award
Children's books that depicts the Mexican American experience.
Walter Dean Myers Award
Diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way

Diverse Reviews and Book Lists

American Indians in Children's Literature
America Reads Spanish
Anasesem: The Caribbean Children's Literature Magazine
Books Matter: Children's Literature (Anti-Defamation League)
Diverse children's book selections with educator's guides addressing disability & ableism, bias, discrimination, bullying, racism, and other social justice issues.
The Brown Bookshelf
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature: Annual Best Books
Colorín Colorado
Bilingual information, activities, and advice for English language learners (ELLs)
Cuatrogratos Foundation
An educational and cultural organization in Miami that works for children, youth and adults.
De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
Disability in Kidlit
Diverse Book Finder: Identify and Explore Multicultural Picture Books
Diversity News & Features (School Library Journal)
A Field Guide to Jewish Kidlit
The Global Literature in Libraries Initiative
Hijabi Librarians
Includes the resource: Evaluating Muslims in KidLit: A Guide for Librarians, Educators, and Reviewers
I'm Your Neighbor Books
Sharing children's books featuring New Arrivals and New Americans
Inclusive Booklists from American Library Association and its ethnic affiliates
Latinxs in Kid Lit
LGBTQ Reads
LGBTQIAP+ literature for all ages, run by author and blogger Dahlia Adler.
Rich in Color
Reviews of diverse YA books
Social Justice Books: A Teaching for Change Project
Vamos a Leer - Teaching Latin America Through Literacy
We Need Diverse Books

Publishers and Distributors

Multicultural / Multilingual:

Spanish / Latino:

Indigenous:

Literacy / Hi-Lo:

Materials for Dementia:

Newspapers for Adult Literacy

Easy English News
Monthly educational newspaper aimed at intermediate English language learners ages 10 to adult.
News for You
Weekly educational newspaper with easy-to-read news stories that can help adults learn to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Collection Development