University of Florida

The University of Florida will partner with Bates College and California State University, Fresno to enhance the discoverability of middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) novels featuring characters who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). This partnership builds on the Diverse BookFinder (DBF), an organization that has cataloged and analyzed thousands of trade picture books featuring BIPOC characters that were published or distributed in the U.S. since 2002. The team will adapt and expand the metadata behind DBF to include MG and YA novels, and incorporate information about book quality. Project activities include (1) adapting DBF metadata so that it is appropriate for MG and YA books, (2) adding metadata to describe book quality and content and updating the database, (3) creating and supporting a community of practice that places metadata application in the hands of library professionals, and (4) ensuring project sustainability and continuous access to participant training materials. Project outcomes will include a database that identifies not just who is included in MG and YA books featuring BIPOC characters, but how they are represented and the creation of a freely available analysis tool that librarians can use to analyze the diversity of their own MG and YA novel collections.