This year I specifically focused on adding diversity related to religion, citizenship status, and LGBTQ+/gender identity issues.

I am new to this library and found the collection lacking. I attempted to add more diversity in books featuring LGBTQ, POC, and characters/authors with different abilities.

We have focused on stories that are intersectional. We are fighting the "single story" issue for our population. Also, we are working to include multiple languages, so students can read independently in their first languages.

LGBTQ - Living in a rural community many students feel that they are not represented, or they are fearful. I try to have a collection that represents everyone - whether they are open about it or not.

African American youth in urban settings that offers empowerment and hope. African American fiction not set in civil rights or slavery area.

Biographies about women, especially minority women; books involving Muslim characters; protagonists experiencing migration or loss of home.

Diverse characters that are nerdy, quirky, quiet - - anything but stereotypical. And LOTS of LGBTQIA*

We have always strived to be diverse, but this year, we have been focusing on multi-ethnic and multiracial characters, neurodiverse characters, and gender nonconforming characters. We also focus on diverse languages.

I've focused on adding more books about African Americans because my students were very interested in The Hate U Give and A Long Way Down. I've also focused on adding more quality pictures books with diverse characters on the cover.

More stories from a wider range of diverse voices, and authors/illustrators: economic diversity, gender non-conforming, diverse abilities, cultures, non-white voices and stories.

Children of color doing everyday things (not historical or pertaining to their race).

Latinx in particular because I've noticed more and more Hispanic families getting cards at my library. I also try to purchase as many LGBTQIA+ friendly titles because I don't necessarily know who may be reading them but I hope they can be a window for an LGBTQIA+ teen/child.

Let me add that we've purchased more diverse books because there's more GOOD ONES available. And we've focused on what we can find that is good - would love to see more Native American.

I have been focused on building up the LGBTQIA+ collection and the Native American collection, with a spotlight on own voices books.

Recently I've noticed that black children are taking out more books about kids who are black. This was not the case in the past, partially because I didn't have as many titles, and they simply didn't ask for them.

As long as the book grabs the reader they will read it. They do not want to be preached at while reading. They love the story where the character struggles and then find help.

Kids generally just like great stories and we are trying to shift the culture of reading here and making sure to have representation and working through the mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. It's interesting the conversations about books and representation that is occurring more now.

Most of our most popular titles are books written by POC. I am constantly looking for titles that reflect our student body. Our students read a variety of genres and titles, but kids tend to get the most excited about books where the person on the cover looks like them.

They're very popular. We have nearly 50 languages spoken at our school, so we are very ethnically/culturally diverse. Also, we have a large LGBTQ population.

Students like to both see themselves and learn about others through books, so the answer is they are not only extremely popular, but also essential.

Our school is 1/3 African American, 1/3 Latinx, and 1/3 white. We have huge demand for books that represent these groups.

Getting more popular all the time! I am happy to say that in my primarily white school, students of all backgrounds are happily reading Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds and more. It used to be harder to get them to consider these kinds of books.

I think today's youth are very eager to explore other cultures. With the internet, other cultures are exotic and far-away enough to be interesting, but actually more accessible than ever.

They are popular because we make a point to include diversity in every display and booktalk.

I recently, had a student excitedly relate that the characters in her chosen library book were Filipino like her; I don't think she necessarily chose the book based on that, but she was delighted to find that the characters were like her.

It's very important for my students to find characters that reflect their own experiences. They tend to check out and request books that have diverse characters.

When they're displayed front-facing, they go out like crazy, but not as much when they're not on display. It makes me think that our community doesn't *know* they're there, so they don't go looking.

It's more popular than in recent years. I get more requests from parents to have characters resemble their children or be more open about the family identifying uncommon family units.

First the book must meet standards and have excellent reviews. I do not purchase books simply because they fit a diversity checklist.

I look for award-winners from diverse fields and books with the best possible reviews that can represent ethnicities and cultural backgrounds as well as possible.

Carefully reading reviews and staying on top of the latest titles released. I also utilize the We Need Diverse Books site to help as well as some of the imprints for diverse books.

I compile requests from students and faculty. I utilize book recommendations from organizations that reflect the diversity of our population. I constantly scour book reviews to find quality literature that represents all marginalized subgroups in our school community and beyond.

I go to websites where the diverse books are highlighted, like weneeddiversebooks.org, and order books that are highlighted there. I order books that are reviewed by VOYA and SLJ that highlight diverse books. I also pay attention to Kirkus book reviews that mention the cultural diversity of all the books that are coming out. I have to be conscious of it and I make it a priority.

I read as many reviews as possible, with an eye out for diversity in the books I purchase. I am always sure to check the awards lists, also: Schneider Family Award, Coretta Scott King Award, etc.

As a strategy, I focus most on books that reflect my students on the fringes. I research the community because the kids in our community are driven to assimilate, and any deviance from the white Christian majority is actively hidden from others at school.

It is both a personal and district goal to purchase books with diverse characters. We use professional reviews as a primary source for finding well written books that contribute to the diversity of our collection. We also make sure that the book provides an accurate representation and does not feed into stereotypes and bias.

I buy books based on multiple reviews and recommendations. But I give weighted consideration to new books with diverse characters and settings.

This is the first year that I've actually been able to purchase so many diverse books. In the past 20 years they just didn't exist. We still need more in the publishing world but I am definitely buying everything I can find.

I have collected titles recommended by parents, as well as those recommended in professional journals that reflect the population of my school more broadly. I also signed up for the Diversity selection in Junior Library Guild.

If a book has a white protagonist and we have books with that similar story line in our collection, I will focus on finding a book with a POC main character instead. I've also worked on weeding books that are considered offensive from our collection.

Looking over a cart of books to be purchased to make sure that it includes at least half of the books with characters that are not like me, a cis-hetero white female.

I try to make sure I have diverse characters and authors in each month's order. I don't have an official recording method; just my memory and goal to have a diverse cart each month.

I have a special section for the fiction in another language. Due to shelving constraints it makes the most sense. I do have a problem with students feeling "other" by having to go to that shelf, but until a better solution presents itself it is what we are working with.

I genrefied books that are primarily LGBTQ since it was difficult for my students to search them.

LGBTQ. I wanted to make sure the students knew we have these titles because everything we have has been purchased in the past 2 years, since I've been librarian. I do not shelve racially diverse content separately. As there are more books that just have LGBTQ characters rather than being ABOUT LGBTQ characters then I will stop shelving them separately. My gay students very much want gay characters but are tired of stories about coming out and about the struggles of being gay.

Urban Fiction is separate because our collection is genrefied. LGBTQIA literature has a colored sticker that is known to students but not widely broadcast to avoid outing people.

LGBTQIA books are kept behind the circulation desk so that students who are interested in checking them out have parental consent.

We have our collection shelved by genre. We have a LBGT section and an urban section.

The only ones I shelve separately are the "Urban Fiction" and "Christian Fiction" books. Otherwise, I prefer to mix the rest in with genres that work for those books. We live in a very close-minded, Southern state, and I do my best to provide a non-judgmental environment for ALL of our students to find a book of their liking, without getting sideways glances from their peers.

Urban fiction. It was a requirement by our district a few years ago.

Only the "8th gr section". That is where the urban/street lit, LGBTQ, violent, teen-issue books are.

LGBTQIA because I don't want to offend some parents. I tell kids what the book is about before I let them take one. I have read all the books before I shelve them. I make sure that all the grades I serve are able to read them and that they have age appropriate content.

In schools that house 4-year-olds up to 15-year-olds, we do keep more mature content in a special area.

We shelve most of these books in the Parenting Section. We feel that many times these books might generate additional questions or conversations that parents might want to have with their children. Many parents do not want their children exposed to certain types of information too early and because most of the material I purchase is in picture book format I feel it is best shelved in the Parenting Section.

Special Needs in the Parenting collection. This was started when our Friends group received a grant to develop this collection.

Especially urban lit - our patrons ask for it specifically and are often only interested in browsing those titles.

I talk to all K-6 classes about the idea of mirrors and windows, that we tend to seek out books that reflect ourselves but we also need the opportunity to explore characters who may look different from us.

I think it's important to provide a wide range of experiences for my readers. I think diversity in the story setting is also important. We're a small city on the West coast, so books about NYC or rural Georgia are also important to have. The more exposure students have to other cultures and experiences, the better!

I tend to recommend based on what the student's interests are. I will not shy away from diverse content if the story is what they need. I may tell them that there is a character or topic that they may not agree with. I also tell them that they can always talk to me about what they are reading.

This is the single biggest way I see and generate interest in books with diverse characters (booktalks to classes)

I actually try to meet the readers preferences with genre first. I'd rather they liked the plot, scene, etc and discovered the character's background while the rest of the book unfolds. Its a more natural discovery that way.

I encourage my students to read a variety of different books so they can have understanding of people different than themselves. I explain that the more you read about different circumstances and lives, the more empathy you develop and become a better human being.

My students want to learn about others, and they seek out books about people different from them. I also rarely worry about "matching" a book to a particular student unless I feel he/she needs that or the student has requested it, so I don't draw lines about which books to recommend to which students.

I tell my students that the only way to enlarge their world view is to meet, speak with, or read about people different from them.

When doing readers/advisory, I definitely suggest books with characters having diverse backgrounds, but it's always a long shot on whether they will check them out. There is a core group of kids who are open to diverse books, but it's really a push for the majority of students. It's too much of a stretch for many of them.

I tend to focus on story more than character. The goal is that students who are unfamiliar with diversity discover it on their own through stories that they enjoy.

If I sense a teachable moment, I may push a child toward a certain book, especially younger children. The Sandwich Swap is one of my favorites if I think I can foster appreciation for differences in a child.

It's a tricky balance, because you don't want to make assumptions about what someone wants to read just based on how they look. That's why it's important to ask meaningful questions (without prying) to get at the heart of what appeals to a particular reader.

If it's a good book and meets the criteria that the patron sets forth, I recommend it. Also, I will recommend a book as contrast to something the patron has already read and liked.

It really depends on what the child/teen is looking for honestly. If I can find a book featuring diversity in what they are requesting, I am happy to book talk it to them to death.

Because our students are primarily African American, our entire staff works on finding books with African American characters.

I was given grant money to purchase books and was told specifically to choose culturally diverse books.

Our teachers are cognizant of the need for students to see reflections of themselves in the literature they read. They are also aware of the importance for them to learn about those who are different from themselves in this manner.

There is a push, especially for this current year and for next year, to get books written by non-white authors, about non-white, disabled characters, with diverse cultural experiences, into the classrooms.

Collections of books for lit circles include some diverse titles. Class sets include Farewell to Manzanar, House on Mango Street -- older diverse titles that were clearly purchased with intention. More recently, I introduced Vaunda Michaux Nelson's No Crystal Stair to a U.S. History teacher. She asked for and got a full class set and has students read it aloud. (Pats self on back.)

Teachers in recent years have used (or are planning to use next year) books with non-white protagonists, including Bless Me Ultima, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Hate U Give, I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Citizen, and more.

Our district-purchased ELA text was chosen because it has a diversity of experiences; that being said, I think it lacks currency and some relevancy, especially for frequently underserved populations.

Class assignments often include a free reading component that specifies a multicultural book.

Only because of constant nagging during our Equity meetings. Many are still at the stage of thinking tokenism is enough.

The English dept. head and I revamped the books the English dept. will use in the future to more closely represent our diverse population.

When we pick summer reading/class sets of books, we always make sure to have a diverse range of characters. We have moved away for "everyone reads the same book" to "everyone picks a book off this list."

Maybe not every teacher but many teachers come to me for advice and materials to do this. Younger teachers especially seem committed to making this happen.

This effort is not widespread or consistent. While "morning read-alouds" may have a wide range of diversity, the in-curriculum offerings have less diversity.

I serve on my school's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. We have more buy-in from some teachers than others, but there is a conscious, school-wide effort to be more inclusive of diverse perspectives.