2026 ALISE Annual Conference

Drawing on Critical Race Information Theory and Information Grounds Theory, this study-in-progress examines how Black youth construct digital literary publics around YA literature outside of library spaces. Using digital ethnography, participants are Black youth ages 14-23, with a pilot study in Summer 2026 to refine the age range. Data collection begins Fall 2026. This poster explores implications for school librarianship, particularly readers' advisory and collection development, and poses two questions for the profession: Where are Black youth finding literary community, and what might that demand of libraries? What can librarians learn from these youth-built digital spaces to better serve students?