CCB collaboration receives award from the Organization of American Historians

Sara Schwebel
Sara L. Schwebel, Professor and Director of the Center for Children's Books

A collaborative project of the iSchool's Center for Children's Books (CCB) and the National Park Service (NPS) has been honored by the Organization of American Historians. The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which features the Books to Parks website, received the Stanton-Horton Award, which recognizes "excellence in National Park Service historical efforts that make the NPS a leader in promoting public understanding of and engagement with American history."

Last fall, the CCB and NPS introduced a Books to Parks website on Christopher Paul Curtis' Newbery Honor-winning book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963, to enrich students' understanding of the civil rights movement and help inspire participation in efforts to dismantle racism and secure social justice. The site was launched in September 2023 in conjunction with in-person events—reaching thousands of students, hundreds of teachers, and dozens of community partners—to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the September 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church that claimed the lives of four little girls.

The website includes a reading guide for each chapter of the book with archival images and fact-checking sections that connect the novel to history and introduce primary sources for students to use in answering questions about the book. Lesson plans help teachers guide students to think historically and process the emotional weight of traumatic events. The "Voices From the Field" section expands on the book's themes, exposing students to current academic scholarship.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham

"The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 is a widely-taught middle grade novel, so the site has the potential to enrich many young people's understanding of both the mid-century civil rights movement and systemic racism," said CCB Director Sara L. Schwebel.

Schwebel developed the content for the website with then-CCB research assistants Joshua Altshuler (MSLIS '22), Christina Sallis (MSLIS '22), and Mia Walter (MSLIS '22), in partnership with colleagues at the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 

"iSchool students working at the CCB were the central researchers for this rich interpretative and curricular website," said Schwebel. "Their work was just phenomenal, and I’m so pleased it was recognized."

In 2018, the Books to Park website on Island of the Blue Dolphins, which includes Schwebel's earlier work on the Lone Woman and Last Indians digital archive, now hosted by the iSchool, won the Stanton-Horton award.

"The CCB continues its ongoing partnership with NPS and is currently working on two additional Books to Parks interpretive sites," said Schwebel.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Tibebu joins the School

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Haileleol Tibebu joined the faculty as a teaching assistant professor on January 1, 2025. His research and teaching interests include responsible AI, AI policy and governance, algorithmic fairness, and the intersection of technology and society.

Haileleol Tibebu

Spectrum Scholar Spotlight: Leslie Lopez

Twelve iSchool master's students were named 2024–2025 Spectrum Scholars by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services. This “Spectrum Scholar Spotlight” series highlights the School’s scholars. MSLIS student Leslie Lopez graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in psychology.

Leslie Lopez headshot

Nominations invited for 2024 Downs Intellectual Freedom Award

The School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks nominations for the 2024 Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2025. The award is cosponsored by Sage Publishing.

Rhinesmith joins the faculty

The iSchool is pleased to announce that Colin Rhinesmith joined the faculty as a visiting associate professor on January 1, 2025. His position will become permanent following approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. He previously served as founder and director of the Digital Equity Research Center at the Metropolitan New York Library Council.

Colin Rhinesmith

SafeRBot to assist community, police in crime reporting

Across the nation, 911 dispatch centers are facing a worker shortage. Unfortunately, this understaffing, plus the nature of the job itself, leads to dispatchers who are often overworked and stressed. Meanwhile, when community members need to report a crime, their options are to contact 911 for an emergency or, in a non-emergency situation, call a non-emergency number or fill out an online form. A new chatbot, SafeRBot, designed and developed by Associate Professor Yun Huang, Informatics PhD student Yiren Liu, and BSIS student Tony An seeks to improve the reporting process for non-emergency situations for both community members and dispatch centers.

Yun Huang