Dream. Inspire. Lead. MCS-BSU Academic Innovation Summit

Studies have shown that children’s books lack diversity in their characters and their authors. And a related issue is the slumping trends in geographic literacy.

Dr. Dorshele Stewart teaches social studies teaching methods classes at Ball State University. Teaching her students to prioritize diversity in books is her main mission. I am an intern in the Bracken Library Map Collection, and promoting geographic literacy is its main mission. So Dr. Stewart and the Map Collection teamed with a project where teachers and students can learn to create maps based on various children’s books.

Participants will be given time to review the maps created from this project. Then participants will have hands-on time to use the online mapping software and share ideas about diverse books to map.

Outcomes: This session introduces teachers to a collection of custom-made maps and other resources available from the University Libraries’ Map Collection. Participants can review some of the student- and staff-created maps created to tell the geographic story of various children’s books.

Then participants can brainstorm about books that feature diverse characters, settings, stories, and authors and how the story could be mapped. The presentation will include maps created from children’s biographies of Ruby Bridges, Babe Ruth, and Frida Kahlo; maps about historic events like the Japanese internment camps, orphan trains, and even Indiana music, civil rights, and sports history.

Participants will receive a basic tutorial for using online mapping software to create paper and digital maps.