Multicultural Library Project Receives First Book Grant

August 30, 2024 - Dr. Keishana Barnes and Dr. Matthew Panozzo are one step closer to building a multicultural library for teacher candidates to use in K-12 settings. The two College of Education (COE) assistant professors recently received a grant of 42 books from the Shelby Literacy Center.

Panozzo, an Assistant Professor of Literacy in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership (ICL), said, “Keishana and I saw this need within our respective classes. We ask students to plan an interactive read aloud, but we were limited to our small collection of children’s books or whatever is available in their mentor teacher’s library.”

“Literature and shared experiences can build and sustain community within classrooms,” Barnes said, referencing the use of children’s books and read alouds in her SPED 3803 course. “We emphasize the importance of being very intentional with these texts to make sure the topics and representation connect to students and their experiences and hope that this library initiative will add to this effort.”

This book grant will serve around 80 pre-service teachers, who will use the books to support their students during residency by developing inclusive lesson plans and culturally responsive teaching practices. Barnes and Panozzo say their teacher candidates are interested in coursework that revolves around both theoretical and practical aspects of teaching, and the students they teach in their clinical placements have expressed interest in multicultural literature, graphic novels and picture books. By providing this library, Barnes and Panozzo feel they can ensure their teacher candidates have the necessary tools to create inclusive lesson plans without these aspiring teachers having to provide these books on their own dime.

When asked what the selling point was to justify the book grant, Shelby Literacy Center Director Pam DeMato said, “I’m a former classroom teacher myself and know how important it is to have a variety of diverse books in the classroom so every student can find something they can engage with, relate to and just enjoy. Our organization was thrilled to be able to support the UofM and preservice teachers on this project. Kids can never have too many books.”

“Books that address varied cultural, social and personal experiences, such as those featuring BIPOC, LGBTQ, individuals with disabilities and different cultural or religious backgrounds, are particularly relevant,” Panozzo added.

The books are currently stored in the college’s Literacy Program. Barnes and Panozzo are organizing a team of colleagues in the COE and the College of Arts & Sciences to help expand the library. The long-term goal is to integrate these books into model classrooms, to be used by undergraduate and master’s students for their assignments and to have a physical, accessible place to store the growing collection.