Rainbow Treasure Chest Selection Committee for Resources to Address Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation TVDSB Marlene Turkington, Colette Denomme, Kathleen Tuckey, Michael Parody, Heather Jones, Bill Tryphonopoulos, Maggie Perquin

The Formation of the Committee ⋆ Reason for the Committee - to create preview kits for the school library collection ⋆ Selection process of committee members ⋆ Representatives from Secondary and Elementary Teacher/Librarians

Think/Pair/Share Activity What subject headings would you use to search your catalogue for books relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation? Possible Subject Headings

"Those of us raised in alternative families, especially lesbian and gay families, have grown up feeling invisible without knowing why. As the next generation grows up, they'll have resources.....in which they can see themselves reflected and therefore validated." -Leslea Newman

Selection Process Examining the Existing Collection ⋆ Started meeting in October spent our first year examining the existing collection in TVDSB schools ⋆ Search in Horizon for all books with subject headings: homosexuality, gay, same-sex, sexual orientation, family, gender identity ⋆ Called in over 700 books - ended up with 175 that met our criterion ⋆ Narrowed by publication date to 10 years for fiction and 5-10 years non-fiction ⋆ Narrowed by Canadian content, especially around policies dealing with sexual discrimination, same-sex marriage ⋆ Safe Schools Co-ordinator reviewed and revised our subject headings -eliminated homosexuality, AIDS, sex education, family

Create a Subject Heading ⋆ In consultation with the cataloguing department we created our own heading called Sexual Discrimination-Elementary and Sexual Discrimination-Secondary ⋆ The books already in Horizon and recommended by the committee were given this designation ⋆ Weeding suggestions were recommended, when resources were found to not meet the selection criteria

A Guide to Weeding A guideline used by TVTLA ⋆ Check the copyright date ⋆ Check that the material is bias free and curriculum related ⋆ Skim for accuracy of content ⋆ Items which portray racial, gender, cultural stereotypes

Policy for Selection of Supplementary Learning Resources ⋆ This policy applies to all TVDSB library books and media ⋆ Community has a right to challenge these resources ⋆ Clear process must be followed for any challenge, formal or informal ⋆ The work of our committee falls under this policy

Selection Criteria Assessing Books for Selection ⋆ Appropriateness to program ⋆ Suitability for students ⋆ Nature and degree of bias ⋆ Canadian content ⋆ Quality of visual and physical format ⋆ Cost and durability

Protection of Committee Members ⋆ Sub-Committee of the TVDSB Safe Schools' Committee ⋆ Committee members' names not published

Boxes for Preview ⋆ Sign-out procedures ⋆ Content of boxes ⋆ Placement of Intermediate books in both boxes

Budget ⋆ Funded by TVDSB Safe Schools ⋆ Supply Coverage ⋆ Up to $4,000 per year for updating the content of resource boxes

FINDING NEW TITLES In the beginning

The Search Begins Elementary and Secondary ⋆ Fiction and Non-Fiction ⋆ Searched web for titles ⋆ Contacted publishers ⋆ Browsed book stores ⋆ Copyright date -concerns ⋆ Finding professional reviews, using Titlewise and other sources ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ Titles often go out of print quickly

Publishers Weekly Tango has two daddies in this heartwarming tale, inspired by actual events in New York's Central Park Zoo. Two male penguins, Roy and Silo, "did everything together. They bowed to each other.... They sang to each other. And swam together. Wherever Roy went, Silo went too.... Their keeper... thought to himself, `They must be in love.' " Cole's (The Sissy Duckling) endearing watercolors follow the twosome as they frolic affectionately in several vignettes and then try tirelessly to start a family-first they build a stone nest and then they comically attempt to hatch a rock. Their expressive eyes capture a range of moods within uncluttered, pastel-hued scenes dominated by pale blue. When the keeper discovers an egg that needs tending, he gives it to Roy and Silo, who hatch and raise the female. The keeper says, "We'll call her Tango,... because it takes two to make a Tango." Older readers will most appreciate the humor inherent in her name plus the larger theme of tolerance at work in this touching tale. Richardson and Parnell, making their children's book debut, ease into the theme from the start, mentioning that "families of all kinds" visit the zoo. This tender story can also serve as a gentle jumping-off point for discussions about same-sex partnerships in human society. Ages 4-8. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. School Library Journal PreS-Gr 3-This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City's Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. Roy and Silo, two male penguins, are "a little bit different." They cuddle and share a nest like the other penguin couples, and when all the others start hatching eggs, they want to be parents, too. Determined and hopeful, they bring an egg-shaped rock back to their nest and proceed to start caring for it. They have little luck, until a watchful zookeeper decides they deserve a chance at having their own family and gives them an egg in need of nurturing. The dedicated and enthusiastic fathers do a great job of hatching their funny and adorable daughter, and the three can still be seen at the zoo today. Done in soft watercolors, the illustrations set the tone for this uplifting story, and readers will find it hard to resist the penguins' comical expressions. The well-designed pages perfectly marry words and pictures, allowing readers to savor each illustration. An author's note provides more information about Roy, Silo, Tango, and other chinstrap penguins. This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library.-Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. Kirkus Reviews In this true, straightforwardly (so to speak) delivered tale, two male chinstrap penguins at New York City's Central Park Zoo bond, build a nest and-thanks to a helping hand from an observant zookeeper-hatch and raise a penguin chick. Seeing that the penguins dubbed Roy and Silo "did everything together. They bowed to each other. And walked together. They sang to each other. And swam together," their keeper, Mr. Gramzay, thinks, "They must be in love." And so, when Roy and Silo copy the other penguin couples and build a nest of stones, it's Gramzay who brings a neighboring couple's second egg for them to tend, then names the resulting hatchling "Tango." Cole gives the proud parents and their surrogate offspring small smiles, but otherwise depicts figures and setting with tidy, appealing accuracy. Unlike Harvey Fierstein's groundbreaking The Sissy Duckling (2002), also illustrated by Cole, this doesn't carry its agenda on its shoulder; readers may find its theme of acceptance even more convincing for being delivered in such a matter of fact, non-preachy way. (afterword) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9) Barnes and Noble Professional Reviews

Reading the Books Ground-breaking Committee ⋆ Two readers per title ⋆ Fit selection criteria ⋆ Availability of professional reviews ⋆ Favourite authors and titles ⋆ Read all the titles sent in from Teacher/Librarians to see if they receive the designation ⋆ If any school purchases a book on this topic that is challenged, the school stands alone in its defense because they didn’t follow the appropriate selection procedure

Continuing the Selection Process.... ⋆ Searching for new titles ⋆ Using selected headings ⋆ Finding more for Secondary than Elementary

Some Secondary Titles 1. Between Mom and Jo - c2006 Julie Anne Peters 2. Far From Xanadu - c2005 Julie Anne Peters 3. Luna - c2006 Julie Anne Peters 4. Rainbow boys c2001 Alex Sanchez * Any of the Alex Sanchez series would be good 5. Rainbow High c2005 Alex Sanchez 6. So Hard to say c2004 Alex Sanchez 7. Hello Groin c2006 Beth Goobie 8. Orphea Proud c2004 Sharon Dennis Wyeth 9. Hear Us Out - c2007 Nancy Garden 10. Boy Girl Boy c2005 Ron Koertge

The Treasure Chest is still open.....