Final syllabus:

LIS 796 01: International Children's Book Fair

Spring, 2014-2015
One week around the time of the Book Fair, plus two sessions TBD
Room: Butler Children's Literature Center, Crown 214
Thom Barthelmess - tbarthelmess@dom.edu; 708.524.6861; Butler Children's Literature Center,
Crown 214
The Rights of the Reader:
1. The right not to read.
2. The right to skip.
3. The right not to finish a book.
4. The right to read it again.
5. The right to read anything.
6. The right to mistake a book for real life.
7. The right to read anywhere.
8. The right to dip in.
9. The right to read out loud.
10. The right to be quiet.
- Daniel Pennac
Course Overview
This course will explore issues and trends in global publishing for children and teens, centered
around a trip to the International Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy. Prior to the trip students
read articles from the required reading list a select a specific cultural work to examine and
review. At the Fair, students will visit with publishers from more than 60 countries, explore
elements of international publishing (acquisition, rights, translation, etc.), consider cultural
expression and diversity in literature for young people, and exalt the newest and best in youth
literature from around the world. After the trip, students will meet to discuss and reflect on their
findings and experiences.
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, students will
Understand the process whereby books from countries outside of the United States
find there way to young people served by American libraries (or don't);
Appreciate the complex issues surrounding cultural identity, expression, and
appropriation with respect to young people's literature and reading;
Recognize trends and patterns in publishing outside the United States and employ a
global perspective to young people's reading tastes and habits;
Enjoy wide exposure to a broad variety of young people's literature, enhanced by the
bracing clarity that comes from firsthand experiences in another country;
Understand and employ the principles that articulate and protect every young
persons rightful access to library materials and services.
Required Text and Readings
Read international literature from a variety of sources, including:
Batchelder Award winners.The Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a
children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published
in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and
subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International
Books (OIB) List.Beginning in 2006 USBBY has selected an honor list of international
books for young people. The USBBY Outstanding International Books List is published
each year in the February issue of School Library Journal and as a bookmark.The
Outstanding International Books (OIB) committee is charged with selecting international
books that are deemed most outstanding of those published during the calendar year.
For the purposes of this honor list, the term "international book" is used to describe a
book published or distributed in the United States that originated or was first published in
a country other than the U.S. USBBY list
Bologna Ragazzi Winners. Promoted by the Bologna Childrens Book Fair, this initiative
rewards the best books in terms of graphic and editorial design. Categories include
Fiction, Non-Fiction, New Horizons (books published in Arab countries, Asia, Latin
America, and Africa), and Opera Prima, devoted to the works of new authors and
illustrators with the aim of acknowledging the publishers' efforts in seeking new talent.
Bologna Ragazzi Winners
Read the following articles:
Kendra, Marcus. Buying and Selling International Children's Book Rights: A Literary
Agent's Perspective. Publishing Research Quarterly. Summer2003, Vol. 19 Issue 2,
p51. 6p.
http://ezproxy.dom.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=a9h&AN=10234990&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Barry, Tania; Garcia-Febo, Loida. Expanding horizons - developing the next generation
of international professionals. Australian Library Journal. Feb. 2012, Vol. 61 Issue 1,
p16-21. 6p.
http://ezproxy.dom.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=a9h&AN=73031919&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Roback, Diane. Bologna Book Fair 2014 Preview: Emerging Imprints and Promising
Publishers:Subagents from around the world recommend noteworthy children's
publishing efforts. Publishers Weekly. Mar 07, 2014
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-
news/article/61350-emerging-imprints-and-promising-publishers.html

Review the following blogs and/or websites:

Bird, Elizabeth.Do Nations Have an Illustrative Style. School Library Journal. December
2013
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2013/12/31/do-nations-have-an-illustrative-style/#

International Childrens Digital Library
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/about/mission.shtml

http://www.slj.com/2011/07/events/betsy-goes-to-bologna-why-attend-the-worlds-largest-
childrens-book-fair/

Course Evaluation
Near the end of the semester you will be asked to evaluate this course in an anonymous online
form on myDU. Participating in the course evaluation is an important aspect of being a member of
the Dominican community. We all, students and instructors alike, rely on feedback so that we
might grow and improve. Dominican instructors are always looking for ways to improve student
learning and we cant do it without your feedback and comments. Since the course evaluation is
electronic, it can be completed at your convenience, outside of class. Although it is accessed
using your Dominican username and password, all responses are submitted anonymously.
Course instructors are not provided access to their course evaluation reports until after final
course grades have been submitted to the Registrars Office, so you should feel confident in
providing candid feedback, knowing that your evaluation will not affect your course grade.
Session 1 - Introduction to the course
Explanation of assignments and Instructor expectations
Student expectations
Grading
Travel
Managing the assignments
Tolerating ambiguity
Your questions
What do we hope will happen?
Session 2 - International childrens literature
Lecture and discussion of international literature and publishing.
Assignment of each students cultural focus, if desired.
Session 3 - Post-trip discussion
Meet as a group to discuss impressions from the trip and learning outcomes.

Assignments
Journal
Keep a journal of your experience in Italy. Write about your impressions each day. Your
final entry should include a summary of our final post-trip discussion. During session 2,
you can decide on a specific focus for your journal. Your journal is private and will not be
shared with anyone. You may be as candid as you care to be. That said, you may want to
use your journal as a source for your presentation plan in this course or as an artifact in
your ePortfolio later. You might want to think about that now. Your journal can be in any
format you choose. You should include a journal entry for each day addressing (at least)
the following three questions:
What did I notice today that corresponds to my experience with books and young
people?
What did I notice today that differs from my experience with books and young
people?
What happened today that I want to remember?
You are welcome to go beyond these questions if you care to, but not required to do so.
Library visit

Visit & report on an least one Italian library or archive (for example, University of Bologna
Library, the childrens library in Venice, Biblioteca Estense in Modena.) How is the
collection arranged? Is there an opac? What differs from your experience of libraries in
the United States? What seems universal?

Bologna Book Fair Panels and Exhibitions
Each student is required to choose a country of focus prior to attending the book fair and
visit booths pertaining to that country. Additionally, each student is required to attend at
least two panels of their choice while at the Fair. Students should incorporate what they
have learned from both the booths and panels in their learning journals for the course.

Illustrator Study
Before the trip each student will pick an illustrator from the selected list of
illustrators on the Bologna Book fair website. Research the illustrators work,
and learn about their life. The student will them send Thom their illustrator of
choice and their bio.
After the trip students are to create a digital story walk or trailer about the
illustrator and their work. Students should use some time at the book fair to
learn more about the illustrators work. Include photos, videos and or sound
recordings of any interactions at the book fair to use in the story walk/trailer.

Presentation of learning outcomes and impressions:
Working in a group of three or four (pending class size) you will prepare a presentation
plan for one of three venues: the Global Learning Symposium, the Caritas Veritas
Symposium; or an upcoming session of LIS 721 or LIS 722, either summer or fall.
Participation:
We will be spending large amounts of time together in relatively close quarters. To that
end, our participation needs to characterized by openness, courtesy and respect. You are
expected to engage with your classmates and instructor in a way that supports communal
learning. Each of us will respond to the cultural immersion in our own way. You are
expected to contribute to a class culture of safety and support that allows for individual
experience and expression. We will be exposed to a remarkable variety of materials well
beyond what we typically see in the United States. You are expected to approach this
variety with an attitude of interest and broad-minded reception.
Grading
This course will be pass/fail. Grades are based on class discussion/participation and written
work.
Written Work.
You are expected to submit graduate level work characterized by clarity, organization,
comprehensive attention to the topic, and compliance with the parameters of the
assignment. The Academic Resource Center, located in the Academic Enrichment Center on the
lower level of Parmer Hall, is a terrific resource. Feel free to consult them for assistance
(708.524.6682, appointments recommended).
Projects are due when they are due. They must be turned in on time for full credit, unless an
agreement is made with the professor by class time on the due date. Emergencies will be
handled on a case-by-case basis.
"All students of the GSLIS are expected to observe high standards of academic honesty and
integrity. Any student whose conduct violates such standards may be subject to disciplinary
action as determined by due process." (GSLIS Bulletin, p.23). Plagiarism will not be tolerated,
and will result in a failing grade for the assignment. You are responsible for understanding what
plagiarism is, and you are responsible for not doing it.