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The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded the ALSC Research Agenda Pilot Grant to Dr. Gregory Leazer, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles.

The ALSC Research Agenda Pilot Grant offers seed funds to help develop, conduct, and disseminate emerging research that aligns with priority areas outlined in the ALSC Research Agenda. The six priority areas include: Learning and Development for Young Children and Families, Learning and Development for School-age Children and Families, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Children and Families, Media Mentorship and Technology Use with Children and Families, Impact and Exploration of Literature and Resources for Children, Professional Development for Library Staff to Serve Children and Families.

Dr. Leazer’s project will address the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Children and Families section of the ALSC Research Agenda and seek to answer the following questions: What are the barriers to library patronage and participation for underrepresented children and families? How are libraries bridging these barriers? The project will aim to understand the relationship between the lack of library services and how that contributes to the lack of literacy, and to social and civil isolation. This relationship also joins other systems of exclusion that result in poor schools and library services.

The research will be conducted in consultation with Candice Wing-yee Mack of the Los Angeles Public Library and Robert Montoya, Assistant Professor of the Department of Information Studies, UCLA, and with additional support from the UCLA Laboratory for Libraries, Ethics and Justice. Dr. Leazer also plans to utilize data from the Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles County Library, and the California Board of Education.

“ALSC is deeply committed to providing its members with the support and tools needed to help them reach and support underrepresented groups,” said ALSC President, Lucia Gonzalez. “We look forward to sharing Dr. Leazer’s findings with the larger library community.”

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is driven by more than 4,000 members dedicated to the support and enrichment of library service to children. Our members include youth librarians, literature experts, publishers, and educational faculty. ALSC supports its members in engaging communities to build healthy, successful futures for all children. To learn more about ALSC and how to join, please visit our website at .