Exploring Race, Culture and Identity with Children and Young People in the Library
- Book Inclusive Libraries Leeds, Wednesday 4 September 2024.
- Book Inclusive Libraries London, Friday 6 September 2024.
About the conference
Reading is a foundational tool to develop empathy and support education around racism. For children and young people the library plays an essential role in self-discovery, and exploration of our global community. We want librarians to feel empowered to champion unheard voices, and provide a safe space for young people to explore cultures, identities and intersectionality, so that they feel included and celebrated.
We are thrilled to be collaborating with the British Library and Lit in Colour (Penguin Books) on this conference for librarians and other professionals with a stake in the library sector and provision.
Inclusive Libraries responds to a need identified in our own research, to develop a deeper understanding of the following pressing aspects of inclusive provision: anti-racist working; decolonisation; effective ways to amplify, showcase and work with books by writers of colour.
Featuring an expert line up of speakers and facilitators (to be announced) who will share approaches to deepen, cultivate, challenge and celebrate conversations around ethnicity, race and intersectionality through children’s literature.
The Inclusive Libraries conference will take place first in Leeds, and then be repeated in London. Spaces are fully funded with thanks to Arts Council England.*
Who should attend?
The conference will primarily be suited to colleagues in any role in the public library sector. Colleagues who work in primary and secondary school libraries are also welcome.
*Spaces are fully funded and free of charge, but we request that you inform us in plenty of time if you are unable to attend, as your booking may be taking a place that somebody else wants.
Conference Highlights:
- Keynote Speakers: Hear from esteemed voices in the sector including renowned children’s authors sharing their practice
- Panel Discussions: Engage in thought-provoking discussions on representation, intersectionality, and how libraries can provide inclusive spaces for young people
- Interactive Workshops: Participate in workshops designed to share best practice and innovative research. Take away ideas for supporting young people's exploration of identity and culture in your library setting
Speakers will include representatives from our partners Lit in Colour from Penguin Random House, and The British Library, as well as children's authors, library practitioners, researchers and booksellers.
Speakers and workshop leaders (more to be announced)
Jeffrey Boakye
Jeffrey Boakye is an ex-teacher turned writer, speaker, broadcaster and educator, with expertise in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture. Jeffrey taught English in London and Yorkshire for 15 years and now provides training for educational establishments on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is also Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education, has eight published books and hosts BBC Radio 4’s Add to Playlist. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Leicester in January 2023.
Twitter/X: @jeffreykboakye
Instagram: @jeffreykboakye
Bobby Joseph
Bobby Joseph is an acclaimed comic creator whose work has often challenged and inspired its readers. Since the beginning of his career, he has been a vocal advocate for diversity and representation in comic books. His graphic novel, Scotland Yardie, published by Knockabout Comics in 2017, was the first diverse graphic novel to be studied as a module on an English Literature MA course at King’s College, London. He is the first person of colour to become Comics Laureate for the UK. He has written for The Guardian newspaper, Dazed and Confused, and Vice.com. His comic work was a prominent feature at the Anarchy in the UK comic exhibition at the British Library in 2015 and was seen by over 60,000 visitors.
Twitter/X: @bobbyjosephart
Instagram: @bobbyjosephcomics
Lit in Colour and Runnymede Trust
The National Literacy Trust are a partner of the Lit in Colour campaign from Penguin Books and the Runnymede Trust. Lit in Colour aims to support UK schools make the teaching and learning of English Literature more inclusive of writers colour, and connect young people with books by writers of colour. The Lit in Colour report published in 2021 highlighted that less than 1% of GCSE students in England read a book by a writer of colour. Since then the Lit in Colour campaign has been working with a range of education and publishing stakeholders to support schools to make change.
The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the UK. Its shelves hold over 170 million items – a rich and living collection that gets bigger and more inclusive every day. The Library offers a free onsite schools programme with workshops on topics including Windrush and Black British Literature, as well as a varied exhibition programme which this year has included Malorie Blackman: The Power of Words and Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music. Their digital Inclusive Literature programme is producing new learning resources and opening up teachers’ access to literary archives, with a focus on the representation of ethnically diverse authors.
Aligning with Arts Council England's Lets Create Strategy
- Creative People- Throughout the day we will hear from industry practitioners such as children’s authors, storytellers, librarians and workshop leaders who facilitate creative learning in libraries. These speakers will share their practice for cultivating creativity in young people, making space for them to express themselves and their identity through reading, writing and other creative practices.
- Cultural Communities- We believe the library should be the beating heart of a community, whether in a school, a town centre, or a remote service supplying rural localities. Through this conference we want to empower librarians to own this and think imaginatively about how they welcome and honour their cultural communities, building on existing work to bring people together.
- A Creative & Cultural Country- With its dual locality in London and Leeds, this conference will bring together librarians from across the UK, investing in the sector to provide time and space for librarians to discuss, innovate, imagine and connect. There will be ample time for sharing best practice and collating practical ideas that librarians can then take with them back to their settings and communities.
