During the spring semester, the School of Education's Allison Bryan and Lisa Buchanan co-hosted a virtual book club focused on identity and representation for educators.
Allison Bryan, School of Education curriculum resources center librarian, and Associate Professor of Education Lisa Buchanan hosted a virtual book club focused on identity and representation for educators during Elon’s spring semester.
More than 80 educators from elementary through secondary schools including classroom teachers, school librarians, counselors and Elon teacher education faculty met via Zoom during February and March as they read “Look Both Ways” by prize winning author Jason Reynolds. “Look Both Ways” chronicles the lives of adolescents navigating life experiences in 10 short stories. This community partnership was funded by Ann Bullock, dean in the School of Education.
Following the book club, Bryan and Buchanan shared the project at two state level library conferences.
The first presentation, shared at Library Association of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Conference, focused on the design and implementation of a community virtual book club focused on identity and representation, and situated within a pandemic. The second presentation for the Association of College and Research Libraries North Carolina Chapter Conference was in collaboration with community partner Jillian Harper, librarian at Walter M. Williams High School. Harper was a book club participant. Together, they shared perspectives from developers and participants in the implementation of community outreach as a virtual book club.
Bryan and Buchanan emphasized this project would have not been possible without the enthusiasm and engagement of educators who are committed to using texts that explore identity and representation with learners in elementary, middle, and secondary grades.
FULL CITATIONS
Bryan, A. & Buchanan, L. (2021, March). Conversations Around Identity: A Book Club Community in the Midst of a Pandemic. Concurrent session at the Library Association of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Conference.
Bryan, A., Buchanan, L., & Harper, J. (2021, May). Rethinking Community Outreach during Covid-19: Centering Identity and Representation Using a Virtual Book Club Model. Concurrent session at the Association of College and Research Libraries North Carolina Chapter Conference.