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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a California public university launched the Pandemic Histories Archive Project (PHAP) in collaboration with the library. This online service-learning opportunity empowered undergraduates to describe and reflect on their pandemic experiences and represent their communities by contributing to the library's digital archive. From 2020-2021, nearly 300 undergraduate students completed PHAP's asynchronous online training modules and documented the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice issues by producing materials such as field notes, interviews, photographs, and reflections. According to open-ended surveys, students responded favorably to this novel project, valuing the creative freedom, knowledge, and skills gained through community archiving. This case study summarizes the literature on online and service-learning, presents the pros and cons of each, and offers recommendations for creating a student-centered learning environment. PHAP's teaching approaches, which emphasized student wellness and strengths, can be applied beyond the pandemic in future online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

Despite comics' popularity and cultural significance in Italy, its integration into Italian libraries has been slow, problematic, and uneven. This is reflected in the scarcity of academic research on the topic, which demands further in-depth exploration. In the context of Italian libraries, characterized by chronic underfunding and staffing shortages, comics might be perceived as a low priority. However, as essential cultural institutions, libraries must strive to reflect both the contemporary era and the evolving reading habits of their audience. Comics, in this regard, could prove to be -- and in part already are -- a critical resource, a 'booster' for libraries. This article aims to provide a broad and introductory framework for understanding the relationship between comics and libraries in Italy. It will specifically examine the challenges and opportunities associated with this incomplete integration, addressing specific issues such as cataloging, displaying, managing, and promoting comics collections. The first section will explore the historical context of the troubled relationship between Italian libraries and comics, in line with crucial international studies. Following this historical contextualization, the second part will examine the challenges faced by Italian librarians in creating and managing comics collections, including the enduring perception of comics as a medium primarily for children. The research employs a multifaceted approach, combining bibliographic analysis, an anonymous survey, and data from a conference co-organized by the researcher. This research examines the Italian library system's fragmented approach to comics. It aims to understand librarians' perceptions of the medium and how they integrate comics into their collections. It offers insights to enhance the dynamic relationship between comics and libraries in an evolving society.

This study explores the perspectives of Indian library professionals on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in libraries. It aims to understand their knowledge, awareness, and views on AI and its challenges and opportunities. The research adopts a quantitative approach, using a closed-ended survey to collect data from 386 library professionals in academic institutions across India. The survey covers various aspects, including socio-demographic information, AI knowledge, perspectives on AI in libraries, ethical considerations, and adopting AI tools and services. The findings indicate that Indian library professionals are generally aware of AI and its potential benefits in libraries. They believe AI can enhance library activities, improve accessibility, and support decision-making. However, there are concerns about AI replacing human intelligence within libraries. Factors such as user privacy, funding, staff expertise, and alignment with institutional goals are essential when implementing AI applications. Ethical considerations, including bias and discrimination, intellectual freedom, and transparency, are also significant concerns. AI tools like smart shelving and optical character recognition (OCR) are among the technologies already adopted in Indian libraries.

This essay analyses the implementation of a work-based learning policy in upper secondary schools in Italy. The policy aims to improve student orientation and enhance their soft skills. Based on two ethnographic research studies in Italy, this essay utilises Pierre Bourdieu's theoretical framework, particularly the 'field' concept, to examine how this policy has been implemented in different tracks of the Italian school system in a peripheral region. The policy has challenged the autonomy of the scholastic field, primarily advocated by teachers and students in the dominant pole, represented by the classical and scientific lyceums. The policy has been translated into a series of projects in museums, libraries and third-sector associations in this field segment. These initiatives reinforce students' citizenship values while highlighting their detachment from manual work. In the dominated pole of the field, represented by vocational schools primarily located in the suburbs of large cities and rural areas, the policy has been well received as it aligns with the expectations of teachers and students. However, due to the prevalence of small family companies, planning truly formative work-based learning experiences becomes challenging. Consequently, this leads to an early, albeit tense, socialisation of students within the hierarchical order of small companies.

The literature in open education has thoroughly examined the implications of labor and staffing for initiatives around open educational resources (OER). However, less attention has been paid to the reliance on librarian labor for open pedagogy support. This article describes a collaboration between librarians and faculty to support an open pedagogy assignment in which students co-created an open textbook describing the history, politics, and culture of several East Asian cities. Special attention is paid to the scope and level of the support from the Libraries, which included faculty consultations, several instruction sessions, managing the publishing platform, and developing processes to ensure students' rights as authors. The collaboration provides context for a discussion about our current work of developing an open pedagogy service model. Lessons learned can inform similar collaborations at other institutions.

This study aimed to determine the learning patterns and experiences of incarcerated adults within correctional settings and how their prison learning transforms their lives after they are released. In this qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain the opinions of eight formerly incarcerated people who experienced educational practices during their serving time in prison. The snowball sampling technique was used to reach the target group of the study. Thematic analysis method was used during the data analysis process. The results of the paper, which are limited to the opinions of the participants in the study, showed that the change in the educational level of the prison population had led to a transformation in group dynamics among inmates in Turkey. Although former inmates experienced a permanent transformation in their lives after attending literacy courses, they could not carry on their religious practices after being released due to the struggle to make a living. Inmates who were not interested in educational programmes within prison managed their own learning processes as self-directed learners. Moreover, although inmates are certified through vocational training programmes, they have challenges in finding jobs when they re-enter society. Educational disruptions due to COVID-19 demonstrate that it is urgent to transform the prison education system into a technologically enriched learning environment in Turkey.

Open Educational Resources (OER) have continued to gain traction in higher education, assisting with ever-rising costs of publisher textbooks and supporting pedagogical innovation. Starting in 2017, NY state legislature has allocated funds annually to be split between its two public university systems to support and incentivize the adoption of OER. The author's institution, an included public college, has secured portions of this funding each year. This paper will focus on the initial five years of the state-funded OER initiative at the City University of New York (CUNY) College of Staten Island, with reflections on the successes of the program, the overall process of the annual grant cycle on campus, challenges that arose in the burgeoning OER program, and suggestions for future considerations. The main aim of this paper is to highlight the impact of state funding on the establishment of a library-facilitated OER initiative, to serve as a example for other institutions who are seeking to build an OER program.

Purpose: This paper aims to evaluate the accessibility of digital information systems as a key usability attribute in information retrieval by users with visual impairment (VI), to inform development of accessible information systems. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a cross-sectional survey design based on the quantitative research paradigm. Data was collected from 117 students with visual impairments from selected public universities in Kenya, using a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Findings: This study revealed that gender did not influence screen reader compatibility, alternative format preferences, perceptions of accessible content or digital library navigability. Instead, type of visual impairment, prior assistive technology (AT) training and digital library use frequency significantly impacted these attributes. Blind students reported positive experiences, favouring alternative formats, and expressed positive views on accessible content while those with low vision faced more challenges. Prior training in assistive technology and frequent digital library use resulted in higher screen reader compatibility and better navigability. Increased digital library use was linked to access to alternative content for those with prior assistive technology training. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the existing literature on accessibility of digital information systems for users with visual impairments. Further research is needed to explore other factors that may influence the accessibility of digital systems, such as the design of user interfaces as well as an evaluation of accessibility of digital systems for other categories of disabilities such as hearing impairment, physical impairment, autism and intellectual disability, among others. Practical implications: The findings of this study have practical implications for the design and development of digital systems such as digital libraries. Developers can leverage findings of this study to enhance compatibility of digital platforms with screen readers and provide alternative formats and accessible content. User-centred design principles can be used to create interfaces that are easy to navigate and friendly to users with visual impairments. Training programmes on assistive technology should be provided to users to enhance their skills and confidence in using digital systems. Originality/value: This study contributes towards design and creation of navigable systems that are compatible with screen readers. The study also points out the importance of creating more inclusive and usable digital environments for persons with visual impairments.

Docent programs are in flux. Many institutions have rethought their programs to encourage more diverse voices: some have eliminated the docent role, while others have changed their structure and offered additional training. When The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens decided to invest in its docent program as part of an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, they started with a self-study of 10 docent programs across the country. This article summarizes the key findings of that work, from which three major themes emerged: intentional investment, targeted approaches for diversification, and expanding non-traditional training approaches.

Purpose: This article advocates that privacy literacy research and praxis mobilize people toward changing the technological and social conditions that discipline subjects toward advancing institutional, rather than community, goals. Design/methodology/approach: This article analyzes theory and prior work on datafication, privacy, data literacy, privacy literacy and critical literacy to provide a vision for future privacy literacy research and praxis. Findings: This article (1) explains why privacy is a valuable rallying point around which people can resist datafication, (2) locates privacy literacy within data literacy, (3) identifies three ways that current research and praxis have conceptualized privacy literacy (i.e. as knowledge, as a process of critical thinking and as a practice of enacting information flows) and offers a shared purpose to animate privacy literacy research and praxis toward social change and (4) explains how critical literacy can help privacy literacy scholars and practitioners orient their research and praxis toward changing the conditions that create privacy concerns. Originality/value: This article uniquely synthesizes existing scholarship on data literacy, privacy literacy and critical literacy to provide a vision for how privacy literacy research and praxis can go beyond improving individual understanding and toward enacting social change.

The article discusses how digitization in libraries, museums, and archives (LAM) can become more democratic. Digitization within LAM scholarship has been seen historically as a democratic act because it provides universal access to cultural heritage content, breaks down authoritative narratives, and enables participation from users. The article critiques the misconception that online collections democratize artifact information for public consumption and explores the ways in which LAM institutions fall short of living up to their democratic ideals when it comes to digital collections projects. Inspired by others with similar critiques, the authors discuss how LAM institutions can better fulfill the ideal of accessible and equitable access to their collections. The article emphasizes the importance of five areas of digital collections projects: system design, metadata practices, digitization selection and prioritization, labor, and user participation and engagement. The widespread misconception that digitization and digital collections are democratizing is a result of institutional biases that have masked undemocratic processes and systems which the authors strive to expose.

This article examines the role of the arts in education through a detailed sharing of a research project, Hum Hindustani, on children and citizenship. Using examples of work co-created with children in art workshops for the project, the article offers an understanding of the place of the arts in the classroom to provoke a larger conversation that can lead to meaningful ways of engaging with children. It looks at questions of children's voice, authenticity and positionality to argue for a reflexive teaching practice that can challenge pedagogies that emphasise tests and results, and instead allow for the development of the whole individual.

This study used scoping review as an approach to examine and determine the extent of studies undertaken in civic engagement roles of libraries and librarians in times of rapid growth of information disorders in the social media environment. The research identified concepts, and methods by providing a systematic examination of academic and scientific literature published in the field. The scoping review was prepared based on Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis. After careful synthesis, a total of 22 documents were analyzed, and found that most research done in this area apply qualitative methods. The main concepts captured revolve around democracy, public sphere, civic engagement, and critical literacy. It is hoped that this scoping review provides a background understanding of the related concepts that appeared in this study. This study helps Library and Information Science (LIS) educators and librarians to discuss and collaborate in strengthening the practice of critical and information literacy.

The authors conduct a broad, cross-cultural review of the literature in fields such as psychology, education, speech-language pathology, early intervention, and library science concerned with board games and learning in young children. They include experimenter-developed and commercial board games and children's learning in mathematics, science, and language, as well as social, emotional, and cultural understanding. The authors discuss findings related to teaching and the classroom, speech-language therapy, intervention programs, and home and community settings such as libraries. Pointing to the nascent nature of the research in many areas, they highlight how board games, especially those featuring cooperative play, can foster multidomain learning and offer promising avenues for future research.

Scholars of library and information sciences have addressed the critical roles of libraries in energizing the public sphere, or the social spaces in which ideas and opinions are exchanged. But seldom is the discussion of race, racism, and marginalization examined in public libraries. The concept of the public sphere represents a critical foundation for examining the roles libraries play in illuminating voices in the civic culture of a society. Who is the public, and why are their voices important? How can libraries respond to the reconfiguration of contemporary publics? How should libraries engage in the production, organization, and distribution of information access? Drawing from public sphere perspectives, this paper explores not just how libraries can be more responsive to the changing political, economic, social and educational climates of the 21st century, but also how expanded conceptualization of public roles might contribute to democratic revitalization.

Libraries across the world have increasingly established makerspaces and incorporated making-related activities into their programming. Yet little is known about how this proliferation translates digitally. In response, this study uncovers how libraries construct virtual representations of makers and makerspaces through their social media content and the evolution of content across time. This research analyzed 36,756 social media posts created between 2012-2021 and identifies statistically significant changes in quantitative metrics, uncovers the themes present in posts, and describes the identities and topics featured. Revealing these digital representations of makers and making is important because this content can replicate oppressive structures by influencing who uses these spaces and what is created.

High-quality language interactions not only support children's language development, but also promote better long-term academic outcomes. Language learning is the single best predictor of later growth in language, literacy, mathematics, and social development. However, many families do not have access to educationally enriched spaces that spur high-quality language opportunities. This leads the authors to ask what educators and policymakers can do to expose children to high-quality interactions that promote literacy skills. The Playful Learning Landscapes (PLL) initiative, which is presented in this article, was founded on the premise that children from all communities should have access to beautiful, enriching, and culturally relevant play environments that help them thrive. Working with community members, the authors co-designed public spaces that promote the kinds of adult-child conversations that lead to literacy learning.

This study explored the reading interests, and preferences of educated Arabs such as students, faculty and professionals, the types and number of books they read before, during and after the Pandemic (between 2012 and 2022). Data were collected from Twitter threads, hashtags and surveys and responses to the question "What are you currently reading". The Twitter data analysis showed that the preferred book titles with the highest percentages were novels/fiction (31.5% before the Pandemic and 41.5% during the Pandemic); Islamic books (22.5% before the Pandemic and 12% after the Pandemic);(iii) self-development books (12.5% before the Pandemic and 20% during the Pandemic). 80.7% preferred to read paper books and 19.3% electronic books. In most surveys, between 50%-60% of the respondents do not read at all. In 2 surveys, between 76%-80% do not read. The highest number of books read was during the Pandemic as 32.5% read 5 books and 38.5% read more than 20 books. The status of reading after the Pandemic was like that before the Pandemic (43.4% did not read). Even graduate and undergraduate students. 31% of graduate and undergraduate students read nothing outside their course textbooks. For enhancing students' reading interests, preferences and the types and amounts of books read, the study recommended using book clubs, BookTok, encouraging students to visit libraries, using online courses, blogs, and mobile apps for discussing books read, integrating global topics in the school and college curriculum and others.

The aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of graduate students in the field of Turkish education during the pandemic process. Phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The sample of the research consists of graduate and doctoral students studying at different universities. Easily accessible case sampling was used to determine the study group. The data of the study were collected with the interview guide prepared by the researchers and given the final shape after the expert opinion was taken. The study group was reached by using internet tools (Zoom) and data were collected. The content analysis of data was made. As a result of the research, it was seen that during the pandemic process graduate students experienced advantages such as increased technological opportunities, accessing to online materials easily, time saving and efficient studying opportunities. However, disadvantages such as inefficient lessons, lack of interaction, inability to focus on lessons, data collection problems, and inability to benefit from libraries were also revealed as problems experienced by graduate students. Students expect technological opportunities to continue, but to ensure normalization in some issues that cannot be resolved with these opportunities. They think that face-to-face education is more qualified, communication is better, and research can be done more effectively.

To facilitate the chemistry education community in locating and evaluating published assessment instruments, the Chemistry Instrument Review and Assessment Library (CHIRAL) encompasses a number of resources. First and foremost, CHIRAL contains a catalog of over 500 assessment instruments that is easily searchable, allowing for the identification of instruments within a given domain, topic, or format. Each instrument listing in CHIRAL includes metadata (intended population, language, number of items, etc.), a bibliography of studies that have used the instrument and reported evidence for validity and reliability, a catalog of the reported evidence, a panel review report providing a synthesis of the reported validity and reliability evidence (for select instruments), and a glossary of common terms used in psychometric evaluations. This paper presents the purpose of CHIRAL and provides details about its development.

Purpose: This study examines the extent to which the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) as measured by reading habits and resources, library use, and subscriptions or materials, as well as parental reading beliefs predict both language skills (i.e., vocabulary) at kindergarten and students' trajectories of growth from kindergarten (K) to grade 3 (G3). Method: The sample included 259 Spanish-English bilingual children and their parents living in Arizona. We measured HLE and parental reading beliefs with a questionnaire administered to parents during the kindergarten year. Children completed measures of English and bilingual Spanish-English vocabulary in grades K to G3. Results: Findings indicated that library use and reading habits and resources predicted skills at kindergarten, but not growth. Across all language outcomes, library use was the consistent factor associated with skills in kindergarten. Conclusion: Given that HLE was associated with variability in children's vocabulary skills at kindergarten but not with vocabulary growth, this suggests that timely HLE supports are essential. Supports around library use show promise, given their significant associations with vocabulary skills in Spanish-English bilingual children. [This paper was prepared by the Task Force of the Language and Reading Research Consortium (LARRC) consisting of Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado (Convener), Carol Mesa, Ann A. O'Connell, and Laida Restrepo.]

The aim of this study is to access editions of Italian Baroque works in place; to examine the availability of these works in terms of gaining techniques for playing in piano education, to gain new works aimed at different pedagogical stages in the field and to acquire new but unknown works in piano education repertoire. This research was carried out with the literature review model. During the first three months of the research, 158 baroque period composers were found among 2173 Italian composers. 50 composers composing on keyboard instruments were reached among 158 baroque composers. For this research study, the library of Dipartimento delle Arti dell'Universita di Bologna the Sala Borsa library, the Giovanni Martini Conservatory library and international museum and library of music in Bologna were visited and the works of composers made on the keyboard instruments were found. The number of works performed by composer on keyboard instruments is quite high. However, according to the objective of the project, it is aimed to perform pedagogical analysis by selecting one work from each composer. For analysis, created to the work evaluation forms prepared by the researcher. 50 works analyzed according to this form. While 48 Italian works can be used in piano education, 6 Italian works are not suitable for piano education. However, in order to use these works in piano education, these must be arranged from organ to pianoforte. An example of this is presented in this study.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of leadership skills (technical, human and conceptual) on organizational citizenship behavior in Vietnamese libraries and the role of organizational culture as the mediator. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was chosen to gather data from 356 participants working in various libraries in Vietnam. The validity of the measures was assessed through regression analysis and SPSS software. Findings: The results showed that leadership skills do have a significant impact on organizational citizenship behavior, but only human skills had a significant effect on bureaucracy culture. The study also revealed that bureaucracy culture played a significant role in affecting organizational citizenship behavior of organizations. Furthermore, bureaucracy culture was found to mediate the relationship between human skill and organizational citizenship behavior of organizations. Originality/value: This study makes a valuable contribution to the field by exploring the influence of three types of leadership skills on organizational citizenship behavior and the role of leadership in promoting organizational culture. The findings of this research can help organizations understand the importance of leadership skills and organizational culture in promoting good citizenship behavior among employees. The research implications are discussed and can be used to inform decision-making and future research in the field.

An increasingly important element of the learning journey for children around the world is the vital role school libraries play in supporting literacy, health, and wellbeing, as well as improving attainment across the curriculum. The Scottish Government established the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC). Supporting creative and innovative projects, the Fund is available to all state-run nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools and is part of a range of measures put in place to improve and invest in Scotland's school library facilities. This article discusses how the SLIF: (1) plays an important role in helping school library services achieve the key aims of "Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools"--the national strategy for the development of school libraries in Scotland; and (2) supported over 30 projects throughout Scotland--many championing inclusion and development, paramount during the difficult pandemic learning period.

The goal of this study was to build knowledge about the perspectives of library leaders who have experience with a responsibility center management (RCM) budget model and how the model guides library allocations and planning. The study also sought to provide advice to other library leaders whose institutions may consider adopting an RCM budget model.

Teaching technology when technology moves at the speed of light can be a challenging task. In addition to the fast-paced changes in this field, students possess a range of skills, experiences, and attitudes about technology such that there is no common baseline for content and activities. This article reflects on a technology-related crowdsourcing exercise implemented in a graduate professional course. The collaborative learning exercise fosters autonomy and peer-to-peer learning and has resulted in the exploration of more technology tools than could be shared by one instructor.

Applying a content warning to metadata and archival descriptions is a practice that libraries increasingly embrace, even though the American Library Association considers content labeling to be censorship under the Library Bill of Rights. The language used in a content warning, such as "offensive" or "harmful," carries important implications for the responsibility the library assumes and the actions it might take. Before deciding to apply a content warning, libraries should consider a range of questions posed by such warnings and be prepared to respond to the inherent conflict they create with librarianship's commitment to intellectual freedom and anti-censorship.

COVID-19 challenged information exchange globally, including interlibrary loan (ILL). This project explored DOCLINE ILL borrowing data from 15 academic, hospital, and association health sciences libraries before and during the pandemic to understand gaps in ILL coverage. We reviewed aggregate filled and unfilled borrowing data from March to August in 2019 and 2020. We compared these time periods to each other and to system-wide fill rates. We normalized journal titles, added journal price and language, calculated descriptive statistics and odds ratios, and conducted 2-proportion z-tests of differences. In our sample of 14,891 requests, the odds of requests being unfilled were 2.7 times higher in 2020 than in 2019. While the proportion of non-English language content requested did not change, a significantly higher proportion went unfilled in 2020. The rate of unfilled requests for older items also rose significantly between 2019 and 2020. Our findings support the conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced ILL article request fulfillment in health sciences libraries. Libraries should consider collection development strategies to increase the accessibility of articles held only in print, and those with specialized print collections may want to prioritize digitization of older materials. Future research on the availability, utility, and expense of the materials more likely to remain unfilled should inform publisher backfile prioritization as well as consortial and individual library collection development practices.

Digital reading is now an important way for children to read. This article defines the concept of children's digital reading based on the current situation, reading needs, and research progress of reading promotion methods. Aiming at the problem that only simple matching method is used for entity extraction in BAG model, this paper proposes an entity extraction method based on reference words and an entity graph construction method based on problem-related entities. Experiments on data sets verify the effectiveness of the model. The results show that the BAG model is improved by 2.4% on the verification set and 4.1% on the test set, which proves the effectiveness of the improved method. Based on the graph convolution algorithm of the central node, the local subgraph convolution and the global graph convolution are connected in the entity graph behind the central node, so that the model can obtain local and global information at the same time and enhance the reasoning ability of the model.

Purpose: This study aimed to understand how parents and librarians describe their lived experiences in a modern children's library that aims to create a triad bond through the organization of multiliteracy events and activities. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a phenomenological case study approach using two semistructured interviews, the first with parents (n = 5) and the second with library staff (n = 5), to record their lived experiences in creating and attending literacy events and activities. Findings: The findings indicated multiplicities of transformative and heterotypic spaces that juxtapose different yet compatible and vicarious experiences for librarians, parents and their children. The virtual and interactive features of the library fuel children's curiosity and creativity and afford them authentic materials through a creative blend of local heritage and technology-mediated multimodal literacies. Moreover, the librarians engage in constant program evaluation and upgrades. The library environment creates a vibrant bio-network for disseminating literacy through creativity and ingenuity and affords an affinity space for community socialization. Research limitations/implications: This study has some limitations and delimitations. The data for this study were collected during the pandemic, which affected the sample size. Moreover, the children's views were not considered, which could broaden our understanding of the phenomena. Furthermore, the study relied on interviews as the sole source of data; other sources, such as archival data and documents, could enrich the data and increase the study's rigor. Finally, the study is confined to only one site. Practical implications: The study found that a "living library" philosophy with an enthusiastic and attentive staff that caters to patrons' interests draws parents and children to visit. Additionally, unexpected fun activities that occur when sufficient children are present keep them engaged and motivated to stay and learn more. The study suggests that librarians, architects, school leaders, policymakers and educators should consider how to conceptualize, design and experience a modern library space that prioritizes literacy activities and incorporates technology to inspire children's innovations. The findings can be applied to both public and academic libraries. Originality/value: The findings from this study could provide researchers, teachers, administrators, librarians and artificial intelligence with a viable orientation to envision new ways of reconceptualizing public and school libraries to create affinity spaces for the literate community, especially in a non-western context such as the United Arab Emirates.

This article responds to the endemic, intergenerational, and pervasive racism endured by Black children in the USA and the need to reimagine classrooms as cultures of peace where Black histories, literatures, accomplishment, oppression, resistance, resilience, and joy are taught as central to the curriculum. To do so, the article shares a five-year study of practices developed by 12 teachers working with university educators to construct Pro-Black pedagogy for children from ages five-to-nine. The article opens with descriptions of renewed efforts in the USA to ban books and deny the teaching of whole histories and how that constitutes curricular violence in the lives of Black students. The study is anchored in Black Critical Theory as it encompasses understandings of anti-and Pro-Blackness in the education of young children. With decolonizing methodologies guiding data collection, analysis, and representation, findings are shared in the form of (a) practices used by the teachers to help students grow in their understanding of Black brilliance, resistance, and resilience; (b) tensions encountered; and (c) positive outcomes. The article closes with implications to guide the examination of curriculum and school structures as an essential element in Pro-Black curricular transformation.

The cross-sectional study explores the reasons behind students' avoidance of library reading. Of the 164 participants, the research uncovers a complex interplay between personal preferences, environmental influences, and social dynamics that shape reading behaviors. Contrary to expectations, students express a preference for classrooms settings and challenge the assumed importance of quiet library environments. The influence of strict regulations on library engagement also emerges as a noteworthy finding, suggesting the need for adaptable and welcoming spaces. The acceptance of digital resources among library avoiders reflects the growing role of online platforms in education. Design recommendations emphasize creating diverse reading spaces, balancing noise zones, and integrating nature-inspired environments.

Schools are often where children first develop a love for reading. However, in many rural towns and villages in Pakistan, opportunities for formal schooling are either unavailable or limited. Thus, children are unable to attend school in person to develop their literacy skills. In this article, the author discusses how a local non-governmental organization, the Alif Laila Book Bus Society (ALBBS), recognized this challenge and initiated several innovative ways to promote literacy for children who do not have access to educational materials.

Every year, the Rainbow Round Table Committee from the American Library Association (ALA) selects quality lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) books for the ALA's Rainbow Book List. The committee evaluated approximately 450 titles published in the United States and Canada between July 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, and selected 122 titles for children and young adults for the 2022 Rainbow Book List, the 15th year the list has been compiled. This article presents annotiations of the 16 picture books that have been organized according to five different categories: (1) significant figures and role models; (2) family and family dynamics; (3) body positivity and gender identity; (4) language; and (5) special events and simple daily lives.

While civic education may not always be explicitly included in school curriculums, it can still be imparted through various non-teaching practices and in different places. In this article, we will delve into three potential educational spaces--memorials, museums, and libraries--that are commonly found in Western democracies. We will explore the significance and scope of each of these spaces and discuss their respective ethical, political, and aesthetic responsibilities. Additionally, we will examine how they possess agency and can influence the educational process, recognizing that even non-human entities, such as nature itself, can play an important role in shaping our understanding of civic education.