LIBRARIES
“I studied the channel today and left comments on a couple of videos. It was FABULOUS! I sent an email with the link to several former students who follow the industry and encouraged them to subscribe to the channel as I did. I am going to be placing this in my unit on censorship and introducing it annually. Christopher has done a tremendous service to people with this channel.”
Professor Steven Layne, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
”This turned out great! Keep up the great work!”
Professor Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Lecturer on Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
“I have the interviews on my schedule for a banned books course I’m teaching.”
Professor Ashley Hope Pérez, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Ohio State University, author of award-winning book, OUT OF DARKNESS
Enhancing the library Curriculum with the Author Interviews
by Christopher Lau
March 4, 2024
Last year I was advocating for diverse books in the face of book banning. In the process, I made a stunning realization that my own school lacked a librarian. While interviewing librarians at other schools for my YouTube channel, I sadly noticed what my classmates and other librarian-less students were missing out on.
As the writer and host of these author interviews, I found myself inspired and motivated by the authors’ narratives and the driving forces behind their work. I wanted to share this enthusiasm with my fellow students. I believe that the interviews in my Author Series can bridge the gap for schools without librarians, and they can also serve as a valuable resource for schools with librarians to ignite students’ excitement for reading and emphasize the importance of libraries in education.
- Author interviews on Unban Coolies YouTube channel can serve as a virtual alternative to in-person author visits, especially for schools with limited budgets. Librarians can screen these interviews in the library for students, allowing them to connect with authors, learn about their writing process, and gain insights into their books. This can foster a sense of excitement about reading and writing.
- Curriculum Integration: Librarians can align these author interviews with the school curriculum. When a particular author or book is being studied in English or literature classes, librarians can showcase interviews with the author to provide students with a deeper understanding of the text, its themes, and its creative process.
- Book Clubs and Discussion Groups: Author interviews can be used as discussion starters for book clubs and reading groups within the library. After watching an interview, students can come together to discuss the author’s work, ask questions, and share their thoughts and interpretations. This promotes critical thinking and literary analysis.
- Promoting Diverse Voices: Unban Coolies YouTube channel offers a vast array of author interviews, including those from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds. Librarians can curate a collection of interviews featuring authors from different ethnicities, genders, and cultures to promote diversity and inclusion in the library’s reading materials.
- Author Spotlight Events: Libraries can organize “Author Spotlight” events where they feature a particular author each month or semester. Librarians can choose interviews of authors whose books are relevant to the curriculum or have been recently published. These events can include discussions, book displays, and writing workshops inspired by the featured author.
- Writer’s Workshops: Author interviews often include valuable insights into the writing process. Librarians can use these interviews to organize writing workshops where students can learn from authors about techniques, tips, and the journey to becoming a writer. ie: Interview w Nikki Grimes “Golden Shovel” form.
- Promoting Reading Lists: After watching Author interviews, librarians can create reading lists or displays featuring the books discussed in the interviews. This can encourage students to explore the works of authors they’ve learned about through the interviews.
- Career Exploration: Author interviews can also serve as a way to introduce students to potential career paths in writing and publishing. Librarians can organize career panels or invite local authors to share their experiences with aspiring young writers. In addition, the Unban Coolies channel features a series on “Right to Read” Champions highlighting the work of rockstar librarians.
- Community Engagement: Librarians can extend the reach of these author interviews to the wider community by hosting public screenings or inviting local book clubs and literary enthusiasts to participate. This can strengthen the library’s role as a cultural hub in the community.
- Effective and authentic use of media: Through the interviews, the host, provides a model for students to communicate research to an authentic audience while effectively and creatively using digital tools.