Children's Literature & Equity Resource Center (CLERC)
COCC’s equity-centered book collection opens perspectives for rising educators
In the Barber Library on the COCC Bend campus, the Children’s Literature & Equity Resource Center, or CLERC, is a sunny reading room built around an extensive collection of equity-focused
children’s books. With comfy chairs and couches, the space is welcoming and culturally
embracing, and is open to all educators, students, and the public.
The collection includes picture books, board books, and young adult literature, reflecting
the rich diversity of world experiences and cultures, and covers a variety of subject
areas including STEM, the arts, literature, and social issues. Smaller, similar collections
are available at COCC’s Redmond and Madras campuses. In all, students have access
to some 2,200 titles, and the collection is one of the largest of its kind in the
state.
Photo courtesy of Dean Guernsey / The Bulletin
“To serve a child, we have to think about that broader family cultural context — all
the time,” says Amy Howell, Ph.D., Education program director and professor of Early
Childhood Education, who helped co-found the resource center.
CLERC grew from a shared commitment between the Barber Library, the College’s Office
of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Early Childhood Education program to support developing
educators’ understanding of equity and inclusion.
Beyond its main purpose of presenting a culturally responsive book collection for
students of the Early Childhood Education program, CLERC is also utilized by COCC
students in a range of other programs, from Nursing to Fire Science. Entire classes
will come in and read children’s books as a group, delving into topics of culture
and perspective, even grief and death, discussing the content afterward. The literary
lens helps shape new mindfulness and community awareness for future health care and
front-line workers.