School Library Themes and Bulletin Board for Academic Year 2018-2019

This academic year, I picked three themes to drum up and base our library programs and readers' services from. These are EMPATHY, INCLUSION and DIVERSITY. So, year round, we will be promoting books, services and library activities that promote these values.

We begin by setting up our library bulletin board. Here are the photos.

Libraries are for everyone is a campaign on diversity in libraries by Hafuboti. There are free PDFs and JPGs in her blog on Libraries are for everyone in different languages. The above photo is our take on the campaign. I chose seven languages commonly spoken in campus and Language subjects offered by the school. Acknowledging the varied languages spoken by members of the community is one step towards appreciating diversity.

The other side of the bulletin board carries the theme of inclusion. Books Bring People Together says it all. Below it is a table spread of books by Gene Luen Yang and the Reading Without Walls . It includes Luen Yang's comic, Comfort Zone, where in he tells the story of bullying and exclusivity he experienced in middle school. Click the link I shared for more activities and programming ideas. Come back here in the blog because, I will be sharing more tips and techniques on how we will execute Reading Without Walls in our school community.

Lastly, we used a portion of our bulletin board for the theme on empathy. Putting one's self in another's shoes begins by learning how to listen. 

#ReadingWithoutWalls (1 of 2)

Free comic: Comfor Zone by Gene Luen Yang

I follow YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) over at Twitter and it was there where I found Comfort Zone, a short comic by Gene Luen Yang.

The story seems autobiographical. A young Gene Luen Yang, considered an oddity by his peers finally found a place and space to stand out at computer camp. There he meets a friend and the approval of his peers. When a new kid comes along, they pick on him and his annoying habits. What comes around goes around? Bullying is a vicious cycle. Who ever said revenge is sweet? The young Gene Luen Yang doesn't think so as he felt remorse for an unkind act that haunted him for years.

Now, as the National Ambassador of YA Literature and Teen Tech Week 2017 in the US, Gene Luen Yang spends his time and acclaimed success as graphic comic creator helping teachers and librarians of young people grow in compassion and empathy. Indeed, none us is too old or too young to turn in a new leaf, to start a dream or set forth a new goal.

The social media campaign, #ReadingWithoutWalls is the punch at Comfort Zone's ending. YALSA and Mr. Yang invites and encourages everyone to:

* Read a book with a character who doesn't look or live like you.
* Read a book about a topic you don't know much about.
* Read a book in a format you don't normally read for fun.

Visit the Children's Book Council for more freebies: posters, PDFs of fliers and brochures. The reading program and campaign began last year during Teen Read week, but like what I said earlier, it is never too late to do a good deed, to dream a new dream or to set a new goal. Better late than never!

Go to the YALSA website too. It is also a good source to find out more about Gene Luen Yang and the #ReadingWithoutWalls social media campaign.

My Blog is a #milclicks Space!

Starting this month, I will be posting in the blog, at least once a week, #milclicks tips, lessons and reflections gleaned from the Media and Information Literacy MOOC that I am currently enrolled in. The MOOC is a non-degree course, but a self directed learning program. If you are interested in learning more about MIL alongside a group of people, click the MOOC link and you are on your way to making it!

I have only begun the first unit and already, I have encountered new terms, concepts and ideas. One concept that struck me is "cultural pluralism". It is a huge philosophical concept and one that I keep at the back of my head. Basically, it is defined as the dynamic between a minority interacting in a bigger society. One cultural group, though small can co-exist with a larger, more dominant culture.

Libraries, being community hubs, extending services and programs to different members of the community are ideal spaces for the practice and promotion of cultural pluralism. How do we know our libraries are doing so? A few examples come to mind.

The Human Library of the De La Salle Library Systems is an example. For several years now, the Human Library brings together people from different cultural, political and social groups to talk about their experiences and life stories. It breaks down walls and create bridges of understanding and tolerance. Teresita Ang See and Etta Rosales have been guest speakers of the Human Library.

Cultural pluralism can also manifest in a library's collection. By including titles representing indigenous groups, LGBT communities and religious groups, readers can afford to accommodate a safer space in their minds and hearts the basic nature of such groups of people. This is, I think, a leveling up of bibliotherapy services. Not only can we seek self knowledge through books and reading, but we also gain an understanding of the bigger world and its peoples.

We can stock our shelves, virtual and physical ones, titles that are diverse and multicultural, promoting peace and tolerance. We can create programs that encourage kindness and empathy. There have been social campaigns on this, however, it is not called cultural pluralism. Check #weneeddiversebooks and #ReadingWithoutWalls. The later is an initiative of the Young Adult Librarians Association where in Gene Luen Yang, the US National Ambassador for YA Literature, created a comics for the campaign.

Starting with the library's collection and a knowledge of the community it serves, librarians can create programs and services that are inclusive and culturally pluralistic.

Gene Luen Yang Is 2017 Teen Tech Week Spokesperson

Teen Tech Week 2017 Poster

During Teen Tech Week last March 5-11, 2017, I launched the Book Spine Poetry Festival 2017 in school and presented two possible outreach activities during school assembly a week after. Having donated three boxes of books to the #MagingMagiting book drive campaign of the Ayala Foundation, I thought of putting together a presentation on developing classroom libraries and creating a catalog of recommended reads. The latter is a public service campaign and the former is literacy and reading advocacy project. Both library activities/projects drum up this year's Teen tech Week theme: Be the Source of Change.

I shall write about the projects in another post. For this blog post, I will talk about Teen Tech Week and its spokesperson, Gene Luen Yang.

Mr. Gene Luen Yang as chosen by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) as his year's Teen Tech Week ambassador has this to say about libraries and its services to young people:

“Libraries have always been about both information and wisdom. Library staff teach us to be wise and discerning about the information we consume,” said Yang. “Because of technology, our world is now more information-rich than ever before, which is why we are more in need of wisdom than ever before.”

Mr. Yang has won a Printz and an Eisner for his graphic novel, American Born Chinese. 

When I read American Born Chinese a few years back, I was immediately endeared to the main characters, Chinkee/The Monkey King, Jin Wang, a second generation Chinese American, and Danny an American teenager of Chinese heritage. The three characters all display flaws that, thanks to a recognition of making the most difficult choice and learning from mistakes, became their saving grace in the end. Mr. Yang sure did give his characters a difficult time as well as allowing them to go through personal and socio-cultural struggles to rise up better than where they started. Such is the ethical and somewhat didactic journey of Jin Wang and Danny. However, the Monkey King's legendary value set as a backdrop for Jin and Danny made American Born Chinese a fascinating read. It has a blending of the lessons of the past to the present day and ushers a reassuring future for Danny.

Mr. Yang has more works that are worthy of acquisition for your library shelf if you are developing your library's graphic novel collection. I recommend, The Eternal Smile, Level Up and the historical two volume graphic novel, Boxer and Saint, about the Boxer Rebellion.

Of the four, Level Up is a personal favorite because it is a coming of age story where the lead, a young college freshman realizes his purpose in life despite pressure from academic work and big expectations from family. How Asian, right? But, I suppose, this is a conflict that many young adults encounter too, regardless of race, color or religion.

Finding one's self can take a person a lifetime to do so. Perhaps, as librarians of young adult learners, we can help a bit by recommending reading materials and designing programs and projects that will create oaths for them to find and discover their identity.