A one-day, online workshop for teachers and librarians that precedes the 11th National Conference of African American Librarians. Co-produced by School Library Journal and BCALA

Join BCALA member faculty for this one-day, how-to workshop, where you’ll gain practical ideas for ‘waking-up’ your book collections to reflect a diversity of voices, and learn to engage with your community and build curriculum and programs that leverage BCALA’s award-winning book list and 2021 finalists. 

Through this workshop, you’ll learn how to: 

• Integrate curriculum that celebrates and honors the diversity of the Black experience and cultural traditions

• Create innovative, inclusive programs for your library relevant to the Black experience and to your unique community 

• Bring-to-life the triumphs of well and lesser known African American voices through books 

• Support educators and families with resources and teaching aids

• Outreach to parents, administrators, and the community

Click here to register for this one-day pre-conference or the pre-con\NCAAL bundle and save on both!

Opening Keynote  |  9:00-9:45am CT

A Wake UP Call for Educators: Creating a Diverse Books Program for Students 
Wake up your collection and reading lists with the 2020 National School Librarian of the Year, Cicely Lewis.  The debut author of the Issues in Action Series will share the details and success of her culturally relevant and empowering literacy incentive program. Learn about a reading challenge of a curated list that reflects current events in our society.  This list features characters that mirror the diversity of our student population. Learn how to use books to empower students to learn about issues impacting our society and to take action in their community. Participants will walk away with tools to help diversify their collections, books to decolonize required classroom reading lists, strategies to garner support from school leaders, and more. We welcome you to learn more about a dynamic program that has increased literacy and book circulation in schools.
 

Session 2  |  9:45-10:30am CT

Building Equity & Embracing Diversity in Public Libraries 
Public libraries have always been at the forefront of cultivating and promoting their collections through a social justice and diversity lens. Discover how you can begin to responsibly evaluate the needs of your community. Plan the best practices for helping to empower marginalized and underrepresented voices.
Presenters: 
Sandra Farag, Kalamazoo Public Library, BCALA Public Library Committee  
Tamela Chambers, Chicago Public Library,  BCALA Public Library Committee
 

Break 10:30-10:45am CT
 

Session 3  |  10:45-11:30am CT

Civic Engagement in the Community From the Classroom and Beyond
Libraries have always been the bedrock of our democracy. Leave this session with actionable steps to get your students to be more actively engaged in their communities.
Presenters:
Cynthia Turnquest-Jones, New York City Dept. Of Education 
Timur Davis, Mount Vernon Public Library 
 

Session 4  |  11:30-12:15pm CT

Collection Development & Leveraging BCALA Best of the Best & Award Books 
Collection development in a school library comes with a host of challenges. Ultimately it’s a great opportunity to cultivate a dynamic, diverse, high-quality, critically evaluated collection. Hear new ideas for collection development with a focus on inclusion and diversity from two school librarians.
Presenters:
Stacey Nunn, Baltimore County Public School   
Sharon Wiggins, Chappaqua Central School District
 

Break 12:15-12:30pm CT
 

Session 5  |  12:30-1:15pm CT

Social-Emotional Learning in the Library
Research shows exposure to social-emotional learning is linked to improved academic performance. Discover how to incorporate empathy & acceptance into your library program through core SEL resources and practices.
Presenters: 
Elizabeth Devora, New York Public Library 
Gwynn White, New York City Dept. of Education 
 

Session 6  |  1:15-2:00pm CT

Uncovering Truths 
Authors Brandy Colbert and Brian K. Mitchell discuss the importance of highlighting untold or forgotten histories of the United States and bringing non-fiction into the classroom. The audience will engage with authors in a Q&A.
Presenters:
Brandy Colbert
 @brandycolbert
Brian K. Mitchell
Linkedin
 

Session 7  |  2:00-2:15pm CT

Closing Keynote: Author Ibi Zoboi (Pre-recorded Video)
Why representation in literature matters, especially in our current climate. How educators and librarians can work to ensure readers see themselves in the literature available to them. (15-minutes)
Presenter: Ibi Zoboi