Muslim Representation in Children's Literature: Insights from the Hijabi Librarians Toolkit

To register for this webinar please follow this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1317260190670/WN_6z-TpJooRKOEr6ulyTWhOA. Sessions are free and available only to members of the Michigan library community. Registrants will receive instructions and a link to attend the session directly from PCI after they register.

In this workshop, librarians Mahasin Aleem and Ariana Hussain will evaluate Muslim representation in youth literature through a critical lens, utilizing their Hijabi Librarians Toolkit for Evaluating Muslims in KidLit alongside Ed Trust's Tool for Representational Balance in Books.

Participants will explore key themes, challenges, and best practices in assessing how Muslim characters and narratives are portrayed in literature for young readers.

As a result of this program, attendees will gain:

• An understanding of the significance of authentic Muslim representation
• Critical Evaluation Skills
• Actionable Strategies for Collection Development

Instructor: Mahasin Abuwi Aleem is a library services manager for Contra Costa County Library. Before working for Contra Costa County Library, she was employed by Oakland Public Library (OPL) and served as OPL's Collection Management Librarian for Children's Services. She is co-founder of Hijabilibrarians.com, a collective of Muslim librarians who evaluate books that feature Muslim protagonists and Islamic-themed content.

Instructor: Ariana Sani Hussain is a teacher librarian at the Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota. Ariana reviews for Kirkus, Horn Book, and School Library Journal, has served on multiple book evaluation committees, and is currently chairing the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Literature Awards: Young Adult Book Committee, contributing to the 2024 We Are Kid Lit Collective Summer Reading List, and is a co-founder of Hijabi Librarians.

PCI Webinars are recorded and available to members of the Michigan library community in the Library of Michigan's Niche Staff Skills Academy about a week after they air. New webinars will be in the New category for several weeks. You do not need to register for a webinar in order to view it later in the Staff Skills Academy.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library of Michigan.