Creating a Culturally Inclusive Library
- Katie Ketchem
- Sep 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Libraries are for Everyone
I had been so wrapped up in preparing for a book fair that started on September 15th that it didn’t dawn on me until the night before that it was also the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Now, more than ever, my focus as a public school librarian is ensuring I create an environment that is welcoming and affirming for everyone. My school has a large Hispanic population so I always make sure we set up large book displays celebrating Hispanic culture. Fortunately, I still had the letter cut outs from last year’s display so I was able to hang it up first thing Monday morning before students came into the library. My amazing library assistant was able to pull books for the display and we had it complete before lunch time.
Finding Time & Holding Space
You can celebrate different cultural celebrations and holidays in your space without having to stop other things you have been teaching in the library. When I first started as the librarian at my school we did spend a lot of our time learning about other cultures. In my third year there we hired a music teacher that leaned in heavily to teaching about different cultures during their month long celebrations so I dialed back what I did in the library because the need was being met for students in another class. While I stopped specifically teaching about different cultures I still create book displays for all of the different holidays and intentionally choose read-aloud books written by authors of the ethnicity or race being celebrated. The more classes students learn about different cultures the better! Having a music teacher that also teaches about different cultures has given me more time to lean into a wider range of library and technology standards when students are with me.
Standards for Celebrating Diversity
Need a concrete reason to celebrate different cultural appreciation months? It is included in our library standards! Here are specific AASL standard codes and I can statements that support celebrating cultures in the library:
IN.T3.A - I can connect content to my own cultural experiences.
IN.C1.A - I can interact with a diverse population of learners.
IN.G3.A - I can reflect on how I fit into my local, national, and international community.
EG.S2.A - I can show my new learning by sharing with our global community.
These I can statements were created using the AASL Standards framework.
Never Miss a Celebration
No one wants to feel like an afterthought. Proactive planning ensures you never forget one of the big celebrations! I like to create monthly book displays that focus on culture and have them planned in advance. A few years ago I made these monthly display signs. However I have slowly been working on creating larger displays that could also be used as bulletin boards. My goal this year is to finish creating larger displays for the celebrations I haven’t made yet.
Here is a list of the cultural monthly displays I do in my library. (If there is a link it is because I have created a larger ready-to-print display).
July
Disability Pride Month
August
Back to School
September 15- October 15
October
Global Diversity Awareness Month
November
Native Heritage Month
December
January
National Hobby Month
February
March
April
National Autism Awareness Month
May
Asian American and Pacific Islander Month
Note: We have never been in school during the month of June so I have not created a pride month display. That being said, I have subtle symbols in my library year round supporting this community.
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