Encouraging and supporting diversity in the media center is about recognizing that there are other cultures, perspectives, abilities, values, and opinions other than our own. However, rather than trying to define what diversity is, we can be more effective as media specialists by simply listening to the people we serve.
If given a chance, our stakeholders will express their ideas and interests regarding the media center’s uses and resources. This can be accomplished through informal conversations with students and staff or needs assessments can be conducted to gather information about the needs, wants, and ideas of our stakeholders. If we truly value their feedback and are responsive to them, the media center will reflect much of the diversity that is already present in our community and nation.
In addition to this, the media specialist has the opportunity to intentionally mold the look and shape of the collection. I believe it is a professional responsibility of the media specialist to recognize and address weaknesses and deficits in the collection regarding certain subjects, topics, and genres. However, he must be careful not to overly assert his personal bias. He can also make a conscious effort to respect holidays and observances of people from many different cultures and religious backgrounds by incorporating their celebrations into media center activities. Fortunately, tools and resources that jobbers provide take some of the burden and judgment off of the media specialist. An OPAC such as Destiny is capable of recognizing weaknesses in the collection electronically and jobbers such as Follett can provide recommendations for resources that will provide a greater balance to the collection. Also, when a media specialist makes an effort to include award winning books and technology into the media center, these resources already tend to reflect diverse viewpoints and life stories because they are voted on by large groups of people, selected by panels, or put into place to recognize a particular community or culture of people. For example, the following link is capable of steering a media specialist to some award winning titles that would bring diverse perspectives into the media center:
http://libguides.utoledo.edu/content.php?pid=70654&sid=523405
In my media center, I see that our media specialist is very responsive to the community the school serves. However, it has not always been this way. For example, the demographics of the school have changed dramatically in the last ten years. ESL students currently represent almost 50% of our school’s population. Under the past librarian, this was not always the case. Therefore, the resources present in the media center were no longer responsive to the current school community. However, our current media specialist has made an effort to ensure that the resources are diverse enough to meet the needs and address the interests of our current students. The numbers of bilingual texts are increasing, and many of the newer titles include a wider range of cultural and religious topics.
Fortunately, during this shift in culture, our school has also been blessed with some great technology resources. Thanks to an interactive white boards and LED projector in every classroom, limitless and diverse resources are made available through the internet to every student. This enables the teacher or media specialist to specifically adapt and diversify resources according to a 15 -25 student micro-community. Thanks to developments like this and efforts from media specialists to respond to the needs and wants of the communities they serve, our schools can become more diverse places of learning than ever.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Cole,
ReplyDeleteYou mention many ways a media center can meet the needs of its diverse learners, for example, how technology as allowing us to go anywhere in the world. I also appreciate how many of our technology resources also allow students with disabilities to have a better chance to be on an even playing field with their classmates. Even simple technologies such as headphones allow for my students to hear a story an additional time without the stigma of being in a special reading group. One technology that I love because it meets the needs of diverse learners is the Accelerated Reader program. While controversial, I love that each student has a goal based on his or her ability level. Everyone can earn points, read, take tests, be rewarded, which means anyone can participate. To further your thoughts on the internet and diversity, some digital books are provided in multiple languages. While this can benefit ESL learners, I think English speaking students like to hear other languages, too. Thanks for a well written post, as always.
I think you made a really good point about not trying to define diversity but listening to student community that we serve as Media Specialists. I think also being active in finding positive resources that will be well received by the population. Different populations/cultures deal with different situations and providing books to help them grow based on what they deal with can be a powerful tool. I think it can also serve to help individuals of diverse backgrounds understand and be tolerate of one another. Students can identify with different races and cultures by simply being the same age. I think that not serving all students is probably the greatest disservice to students. I teach at a relatively non-diverse school so this topic was something that I really need to think about when I am at other schools as a media specialists.
ReplyDeleteCole,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job representing many different facets of diversity. I like the fact that you included the stakeholders in your representation of people that can help with the input of diversity in the media center. I think you are totally on target when you mentioned that we have to be willing to change with the patrons that we serve. Our media centers should be on the cutting edge of change to keep up with the demands of our changing communities.
I agree wholeheartedly that personal bias can result in "holes" in one's collection of resources in a media center, as in a public library. A public library in our community has that particular issue. I spoke with the individual in charge of purchasing and selection of materials for the library, and she plainly stated that she tended to order only popular authors (i.e. James Patterson, or his latest co-creation), romance, or how-to books, as those were the wishes of the population served. However, she also admitted that she did not purchase items that might cause any sort of "stir", which I thought was interesting. This leaves the library with much to be desired in the way of reference (noted last summer), juvenile literature, science/health (except for diet books), and so on.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that this comes to mind is that I feel that one thing I have not yet done is to read a variety of different materials from different sections of the DDC, as well as shelf reading from less popular authors and books that might be termed controversial. Although I know that we are, as media specialists, supposed to draw strength and purpose from the Library Bill of Rights, I think that some of the purchasing or publicity of current material issues (that may result in a collection that is not diverse) may simply stem from ignorance of the materials that are out there. Yes, jobbers do give us quick picks that are helpful; however, in this age of decreased or nonexistent funding, being able to make use of the items on-site already purchased will be of use. Being able to intelligently order some items by inter-library loan from public libraries or system libraries may also come as a direct result of ensuring that our own reading and previewing includes a wide variety of materials across disciplines, cultures, religions, and time periods.