Panel Discussion on Trends and Issues in Contemporary Multicultural Children’s and Young Adult Literature

A panel discussion with members of the advisory board of the
Children’s Defense Fund’s Langston Hughes Library (LHL) about current
issues and trends in multicultural children’s and young adult
literature took place. on April 20, 2007 from 9 am to 12 pm. A webcast of the event is available here.

The place of multiculturalism in literature and in civic life has continued to be a controversial and highly debated topic. Children’s and young
adult literature published in the United States has only fairly recently begun the large task of addressing and assessing the representation of diverse cultures. As children’s literature expert,
Rudine Sims Bishop, has observed: “Children need literature that serves as a window onto lives and experiences different from their own, and
literature that serves as a mirror reflecting themselves and their cultural values, attitudes and behaviors.” Information professionals
serve an important role in mediating children’s and young adults’ access to this literature that serves as both window and mirror.

This is a panel discussion with members of the advisory board of the
Children’s Defense Fund’s Langston Hughes Library (LHL) about current
issues and trends in multicultural children’s and young adult
literature. Everyone in the SIS community is invited to attend this
event. This is highly recommended for those taking the IS 575 course on
Multicultural Children’s and Young Adult Literature offered this
summer.

A webcast of this event is available here:
http://tinyurl.com/23jyvk
. There is no charge for this event.

The discussants include the following LHL advisory board members and
experts in multicultural young adult and children’s literature and
youth services:

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop
Professor Emeritus, College of Education, Ohio State University

Ms. Cheryl Willis Hudson
Editorial Director and Publisher, Just Us Books, Inc.

Mr. Andrew Jackson
Executive Director Queens Borough Public Library
Langston Hughes Community
Library & Cultural Center

Dr. Carole J. McCollough
Chair, Coretta Scott King Task Force

Ms. Effie Lee Morris
Former Coordinator of Children's Services, San Francisco Public Library

Members of the board who may NOT be in attendance include:

Dr. Darwin Henderson
Associate Professor of Teacher Education, University of Cincinnati

Dr. Dianne Johnson
Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, University of South Carolina

Ms. Robin Sally
Curriculum Coordinator, Children’s Defense Fund National Freedom Schools