Special Topics Paper: How We Need Diverse Books is Essential to Readers Advisory

We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is a nonprofit created to promote all forms of diversity in children’s literature and publishing. This campaign started as an online protest against the lack of diversity in the publishing industry, after an all-white male panel was announced for BookCon in 2014. Wanting to make a change, Ellen Oh, Malinda Lo, and other authors and publishing insiders began protesting and discussing the lack of diversity and representation in the field on Twitter using the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks. Under this hashtag, people began sharing reasons why diverse books are important children’s literature. Because the hashtag grew exponentially, a core group of individuals decided to continue the movement, and on July 29, 2014, We Need Diverse Books became a nonprofit. (Hart 2021).

Next, there are several types of programs that WNDB provides including awards and competitions, grants and mentorships, and their biggest area of contribution, resources for anyone involved in the book world including, publishing professionals, writers and illustrators, and teachers, librarians, and parents. (About WNDB, 2023)

As information professionals, we will focus on this last category and how those in our field can contribute to the overall goals of WNDB.

One way we can contribute to the goal of providing more diverse books for children is by participating in the librarian programs provided by this nonprofit. 

The main program librarians can participate in is Books Save Lives initiative, which was created in response to book bans, an issue that disproportionately affects diverse authors. The goal of this program is to fight back against censorship and support students, teachers, and librarians. First and foremost, the initiative provides a 10,000-dollar grant to purchase challenged and banned titles for underserved schools and libraries, fund educational resources for on the ground efforts, arrange author visits, provide educator and media specialists. (School Library Journal 2022) 

Next, there are several resources available to Librarians through WNDB. This organization organizes resources from several library and book related resources into one convenient list for librarians, educators and parents, including many articles from the American Library Association. Helpful topics include book lists organized by categories including many ethnicities/races, religions, disabilities, and other cultures ,several articles on banned books and censorship, teaching resources and more under the resources for parents, educators, and  librarians tab on WNDB. (Resources for Parents, Educators, and Librarians, 2022)

Next, there are several resources available to Librarians through WNDB. This organization organizes resources from several library and book related resources into one convenient list for librarians, educators and parents, including many articles from the American Library Association. Helpful topics include book lists organized by categories including many ethnicities/races, religions, disabilities, and other cultures ,several articles on banned books and censorship, teaching resources and more under the resources for parents, educators, and  librarians tab on WNDB. (Resources for Parents, Educators, and Librarians, 2022)

Next, there are questions provided for librarians to ask themselves when in the process of selecting diverse titles. They are as follows How is this story different from other books I have about this same group? How does this text reinforce or challenge stereotypes about this group?Does the diversity in the story exist (may influence the plot some) or does it drive the plot (the conflict is directly tied into the character’s diversity?Would I purchase this book if the characters were white, cisgender, and heterosexual

The next article is all about how to start a social justice book club and it has many tips for librarians. Book clubs are often a component of readers advisory, so these tips are helpful to note. The first step is to pick a different topic each month. Some examples from the article are: American History of Racism, Indigenous Rights, Consent, etc.  (We Need Diverse Books 2023). Next, the article provides tips on how to run the club. For example, types of questions include, asking participants to provide examples of pre-defined terms (ie: microaggressions and gender inequalities). Another tip is letting participants know questions ahead of time. The article also says to repeat key terms, so participants get comfortable noticing injustices. In terms of book suggestions, the post suggests choosing books that are relevant to diverse people in your own community.

In conclusion, WNDB is an organization that is crucial to librarians who are looking to select diverse titles that are representative of as many diverse groups as possible without perpetuating stereotypes or trauma. Librarians can use this organizations resources and campaigns not only to select titles, but also as tools to educate their patrons on the many topics included in diversity, from banned books and censorship, to learning more about the diverse communities that are all around us.