cleveland public library: lunch & learn

with K.C. BoydFebruary 29, 2016

East St. Louis School District #189East St. Louis, Illinois

Wendell Phillips Academy High SchoolChicago, Illinois

K.C. BoydLead Librarian

East St. Louis School District #189East St. Louis, Illinois

My Favorite Social Media PagesTwitter: @Boss_LibrarianInstagram: @Boss_LibrarianPinterest: BoydKCALA Think TankBlack Caucus of the American Library Association

Public Librarians

School Librarians

Collaboration

Sherman Park Branch

- Located on the south side of Chicago in the West Englewood neighborhood

- Sherman Park Branch opened October 18, 1937.

- The branch is named for John B. Sherman, founder of the Chicago Stock Yards.

First began using the genre with my 6th, 7th and 8th grade students after catching a student reading an adult Street Literature book.

Began blogging about Street Literature because of the lack of critical reviews. (i.e. School Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly etc.) and other librarians requested my opinion about the books.

Some authors now publish books for adult and teen readers.

Street LiteratureStreet Literature is a literary genre "where the stories, be they fiction or nonfiction, are consistently set in urban, inner-city enclaves. Street Literature of yesteryear and today, by and large, depicts tales about the daily lives of people living in lower income city neighborhoods. This characteristic spans historical timelines, varying cultural identifications, linguistic associations, and various format designations."

Dr. Vanessa IrvinThe Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature, 2011

Street Literature Book Award Medalhttp://www.streetliterature.com/p/slbam.html

THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE

Maggie Girl of the Streets’ by Stephen Crane in 1892, is considered a Street Literature novel of it’s day.

The genre experienced a resurgence during the 60’s

with novels written by IceBerg Slim, Donald Goines, Chester Himes and Claude Brown.

THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE

Authors of the genre experienced difficulty having their books published, many opted to self-publish and sell their books independently.

Many professional reviewing sources, librarians and educators discredited early publications of books within the genre because of the self-publishing, poor editing, and content.

Years later, books written by many of the top writers within the genre are now published by major publishing houses and the books are critically reviewed

THE HISTORY OF STREET LITERATURE - HIP HOP MUSIC

During the early 1990’s, Teri Woods, Sister Souljah, Omar Tyree,and Shannon Holmes help usher in a new generation of readers of the genre

Stringer, Nikki Turner, K’wan, Treasure Blue and Wahida Clark books are now top sellers.

Courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor

Why Street Lit.

The stories reflect the communities that the students reside in.

The stories are relatable and describe the struggle and life experience of today’s tees.

The stories serve as cautionary tales.

The stories are complex and challenge advanced and struggling readers.

Challenges Using Street Lit.

Parents, teachers and community members dislike of the genre.

Library selection policy must reflect the use of the books for middle and high school readers.

Identifying good stories.

Circulation issues i.e. damaged books, lost/stolen books

Sara SayighTeacher-LibrarianDuSable High School

The DuSable Library has been staffed by a teacher-librarian since 1935

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-public-fools/2015/12/who-lays-off-librarians-cps-thats-who/

Courtesy of the Chicago Teachers Union