School of Information Sciences

Research on Diversity in Youth Literature moves to Illinois

Sarah Park Dahlen
Sarah Park Dahlen, Associate Professor

Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL), a peer-reviewed, online, and open-access journal focused on issues of diversity, equity, social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality in youth literature, culture, and media, has moved from St. Catherine University to the iSchool's Center for Children's Books. The journal is co-edited by iSchool Associate Professor Sarah Park Dahlen and Sonia Alejandra Rodríguez, associate professor of English at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York.

With the support of St. Catherine University's Master of Library and Information Science Program and University Library, RDYL published its inaugural issue in 2018. The previous four volumes will remain on the St. Catherine University RDYL website, with the journal's fifth volume hosted on the Illinois IOPN platform. RDYL will continue to publish two issues per year with a guest-edited, themed issue in the summer and a general issue in the winter. Each issue typically includes peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, cover art, and a topical forum.

RDYL logo

"Our shared commitment to youth literature, diversity, and open access makes the iSchool a fantastic home for RDYL," said Dahlen. "I received my graduate degrees from the iSchool, and Sonia received her bachelor's degree from the English and Latinx Studies Departments at the University of Illinois. We are excited to return to Illinois and grow the journal with the iSchool's support."

"The iSchool has a longstanding commitment to leading the field of library and information science through research, education, and professional publications," said Dean and Professor Eunice E. Santos. "For over seven decades, we have hosted Library Trends, which explores critical trends in professional librarianship, and for over three decades, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, one of the nation's leading children's book review journals for school and public librarians. RDYL is well aligned with our School's mission and commitment to diversity and inclusion."

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

iSchool researchers present at ILA 2025

School faculty, staff, and students will present their research at the 2025 Illinois Library Association (ILA) Annual Conference, which will be held on October 14–16 in Rosemont. The theme of this year's conference is "You Belong Here."

Craig named Illinois Library Luminary

Anne Craig, iSchool adjunct lecturer and senior director of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI), has been inducted as an Illinois Library Luminary. The Illinois Library Luminary program, an initiative of the Illinois Library Association (ILA), recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to Illinois libraries.

Anne Craig

Library Trends examines genre classifications in latest issue

The iSchool at Illinois is pleased to announce the publication of Library Trends 74 (1), titled “Genres and Their Uses in Cultural Documentation: Exploring Generic Access to Creative Worlds.” Pushing back against the notion of genres as “inferior” classifications due to their ambiguity, this issue instead explores how genre classifications facilitate access to creative works in libraries and beyond.

Cover of Library Trends 74 (1)

iSchool researchers present at CSCW 2025

Several faculty, students, and recent grads will present their research at the 28th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW 2025), which will be held October 18–22 in Bergen, Norway. The online portion of the conference will be held on October 10. 

School of Information Sciences

501 E. Daniel St.

MC-493

Champaign, IL

61820-6211

Voice: (217) 333-3280

Fax: (217) 244-3302

Email: ischool@illinois.edu

Back to top