How do you develop a diverse classroom library?
I strongly believe that classroom libraries should be diverse to meet the reading interests of all students! Not only does this mean diverse in regards to culture, but also diverse in genre, author, characters, theme, reading level, interest level, and type of text.
The books in our classroom libraries should reflect our students’ cultures, backgrounds, families, experiences, and community. Rudine Sims Bishop refers to these types of books as “mirrors,” as students are able to see themselves in these books. However, it is just as important to have books that are “windows,” as they allow students to see something other than themselves or their own experiences. Books that are “sliding glass doors” take it a step further and allow students to “enter” that world.
Please take a moment to watch this brief video clip of an interview, with Rudine Sims Bishop, on the importance of diverse books.
It can be powerful to analyze your classroom library and think about the windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for each individual student in your classroom. In which of those categories do you need more books in your classroom library? It is important to note that having a bin in your classroom library labeled “cultures around the world,” does not automatically make your classroom library culturally diverse.
A great resource for diversifying your classroom library is the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books. This organization has a website and also partners with Scholastic Book Clubs to create a catalog for ordering books. Many teachers utilize Scholastic Book Clubs to promote reading and new books to their students and their families. This catalog is created a couple of times a year for both younger and older students. There is a large variety of books that are diverse in numerous ways. It is a great resource in staying current on new picture books and chapter books that are diverse.
As an ending thought, we often forget or don’t realize that our classroom libraries express what we value and think is important as teachers. What message does your classroom library send your students? What messages are you unintentionally sending? How do you locate diverse books to show that you value diversity and providing “windows” and “mirrors” experiences for all your students? Share your thoughts and diverse books resources below!
References:
[Reading Rockets]. (2015, January 30). Mirrors, windows, and sliding doors . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AAu58SNSyc
Literacy Learning 
Christina,
This is a great topic to blog about. It goes especially well with the other course we are in right now. I have a huge classroom library that has accumulated over my 15 years of teaching, however, I have never really taken the time to look at the diversity within the books. Your blog got me thinking, and on our next work day, I am going to look into this. I agree, that a variety of genres is just as important as a variety of culturally diverse material. I know I have tons of nonfiction books, but I’m lacking in the fiction category.
Thanks for planting this seed.
Liz
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What a thoughtful post! I love your post because I’m so passionate about children’s literature!
Books can be diverse in so many ways. In addition to the ways you described, I try to incorporate diverse points of view such as told from the point of view of a narrator, of an author telling the story in first person, and from a variety of types of characters such as animals or children telling the story. I even have a book called I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino told from the point of view of the story.
I thought the comparison of books as mirrors, windows, or sliding glass doors was clever! I absolutely agree that one bin of cultural books from around the world does not make a classroom library diverse. I am working towards including diversity in each text set/book bin in my library. As I reflect on my library and mentor texts, I can think of several examples of both windows and mirrors. As I reflect on sliding glass doors, I wonder which of my books would be sliding glass doors for my students. It seems dependent upon each unique individual and the individual experience one has with a book. I wonder what we can do as teachers to help our students find books that are sliding glass doors.
When it comes to the messages my library sends (intentionally and unintentionally), I try to be vigilant about keeping my library relevant and up to date. My library also sends the message that books are valuable… I would estimate that I have over 1,000 books. My library definitely started heavy with books that reflected my own personal interests, but I have expanded upon this. I also like to stay current with new releases and share these with my students. Finally, I try to be vigilant about screening books that I add to my library so I don’t have books that have misinterpretations and promote stereotypes. I want books that cherish culture as a precious gift.
Thanks for the thoughtful post!
Jill
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I love this post! I am familiar with windows and mirrors, but don’t think I had heard of sliding glass doors. As Jill mentioned, it would take a little more thinking for me to consider which books might be sliding glass doors for which students. I appreciated that you mentioned that having a bin of “diverse” books does not cut it. If anything, identifying certain books as representing “other cultures” only serves to solidify dominant cultural norms. Diversity should be the norm! You added some great resources to your post. The video was a great watch, and I often find myself returning to We Need Diverse Books. Thank you for your thoughts!
Linnea
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I use the doors and windows perspective for books in my classroom library. I hadn’t heard of the sliding glass door idea before, but I love it. This year I did a Donors Choose project to diversify my classroom library, striving to have more doors and windows for everyone. I remember when one of my students got so excited because she found books in my library with characters wearing a hijab like her. It is so so important.
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What an important message! I actually have been working with Indian Ed with our local school district in Grand Rapids. They have been compiling a list of books (by grade level) about Ojibwe langauge, culture, and history. But…the most important part is that all of these books are written by Native authors. Authenticity and truth is so important when adding books to your classroom library!
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It is challenging to find Native American books that are culturally accurate. That is great that they are creating a list! Do you have a good resource/website that also has lists of Native American or Ojibwe books?
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