Pasadena Public Library: Community Response to Early Equity Kits for Children “Overwhelmingly Positive”

Pasadena Public Library has launched “early equity” reading kits which feature a selection of curated resources that celebrate differences in race, nationalities, body types and other social issues. 

According to Catherine Haskett Hany, Communications Director at Pasadena Public Library, the community’s response to the early equity reading kits has been “overwhelmingly positive,” she said.

Designed for children from newborn up to age eight, the kit topics include body positivity, happy Black families, sadness and grief, kindness, celebrating East Asian families, gender expression, and more.

There are 30 different equity kits to choose from, each containing five to eight books and a sharing guide.

“We hope by exploring the topics early, it will instill a greater understanding of diversity, improve empathy, kindness, and overall wellbeing in both children and their parents or caregivers,” said Hany.

In the short time that the kits have been available, community leaders have already shared the kit materials at schools and community centers.

The Pasadena Public Library said it launched the early equity kit to meet the demands of the community.

“Library patrons have long voiced their desire for curated resources, often described as a themed box or other container filled with storytime materials. Paired with our book circulation trends and topics our patrons have often asked for, the Early Equity Kits are a relevant resource that combines these frequent requests.”

Hany said a team of staff specialists with diverse backgrounds and experiences reviewed each book and kit “with a sensitivity lens.” 

“In gathering materials for the kits, staff not only conducted research about the individual books themselves, but also the books as a grouping, thinking critically about the shades of meaning individually and as a group. Staff researched other libraries who offer similar resources and cross-checked resources developed by other professionals,” she said.

More kits and topics are still being developed to date and they will soon be offered to the community.

“Some kits were delayed due to publishing or book supply availability, but more are being made available every year. Following the same steps, we take to ensure our library collections reflect the needs of our community,” she said. “We continue to listen, make notes, and discuss with our patrons.”

Pasadena Public Library has told parents and caregivers to review all materials before sharing them with their children and discuss any concerns or questions their children may have about the books’ content.

Library patrons can check out the kits in-person at Jefferson Branch Library or request to have them sent to any of the nine other neighborhood branch libraries for convenient check out.

Check out the kits by visiting the public library’s online catalog through: https://pasadena.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/default/search/results?qu=Early+Equity+Kit&te=ILS