Program Learning Outcome 2

It was shown throughout the first 2 semesters of the program in most of the classes I was taking. I realized then, that diversity in children's literature was important and it was something that I was going to be focused on throughout the program and beyond. My school's demographics were changing, as evidenced from the CSA project (PLO 1) and the materials we needed in our library were going to need to change as well. Assessing the collection was an important first step in what I referred to in my library as the diversity challenge. I was determined to bring the level of diversity in my collection up to higher standards and starting in that very first semester of the MLIS program, that's what I've done. After assessing our collection, by using a Titlewise Analysis, I found that our collection was only considered 3% diverse. That was shocking and disheartening to me. However, that just meant that I had a lot of room for improvement. Through planning and collection management I've been able to raise the diversity percentage to 35% of the collection in just 3 years. I've focused on diverse authors and books through our morning show and continue to add titles to our collection that represent marginalized populations and authors. Through research and study, I've made diversity in my collection a main focus throughout this 3 year program. Bishop's "mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors" has been a staple in the MLIS program, and it's something I've incorporated into my library. (Bishop, 1990) Through continued research, I will seek to curate a diverse collection that represents all of my student body, as well as the community that surrounds us. By providing opportunities for all my students to see themselves as well as others in the books they read, is one of the most important parts of the collection development process for a school librarian.