Resources Addressing Racism for Youth Services Staff

Recent national events have brought a critical focus on racism in this country. To help address this topic in your library, here are some resources for youth services staff. This list is merely a starting point; please share resources you’ve found helpful for an ongoing exchange in the first document listed below.

Colorado Youth Services Meeting on Racism, June 11, 2020, meeting notes, ongoing discussion, and compiled resources. This is a living document; please add to it.

Professional Development

Project READY: Reimagining Equity & Access for Diverse Youth, a free online professional development curriculum

Embrace Race, a national nonprofit of parents and educators; website includes webinars, articles, and collection development tools with the goal of raising a generation of children who are thoughtful, informed, and brave about race

Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop News, a webinar from Common Sense Media

Teaching Tolerance’s webinars, podcasts, and self-guided learning

Race and Antiracism Continuing Education Opportunities, compiled by Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Library Consultant, State Library of Ohio, with content provided by state youth services consultants, June 2020.

Collection Development

Diverse BookFinder, a collection analysis tool and comprehensive collection of children’s picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color from Bates College

We Need Diverse Book, a nonprofit of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people

Diversity Auditing 101: How to Evaluate Your Collection, School Library Journal

Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books, Social Justice Books

Reading for Change: Booklist-Recommended Antiracism Titles for All Ages, Booklist Reader

Anti-Racism Reading Lists and Resources, compiled by Adrienne Butler, Youth Services Consultant of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries

A recording of the Kidlit Rally for Black Lives, which brought together award-winning authors Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds and other popular YA writers is available on YouTube with additional resources for anti-racist education, parenting, and living provided on the Brown Bookshelf website.

Talking with Kids and Teens about Race

‘Raising White Kids’ Author On How White Parents Can Talk About Race, NPR interview,

Are Your Kids Too Young to Talk about Race? Nope. Silence about race can reinforce racism by letting children draw their own conclusions, Pretty Good Design.

Let’s Talk: Discussing Race, Racism and other Difficult Topics with Students, Teaching Tolerance

Confronting Anti-Black Racism for middle and high school students, PBS Media

Talking about Race, National Museum of African American History and Culture

What Else You Can Do

Black Lives Matter: ALSC’s Call to Action

ALSC Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Professional Tools

YALSA’s Cultural Competence Taskforce Toolkit

Hold a Culturally Responsive Library Walk

Hold a Talking with Kids about Race Program Series (virtually, these days)