DataBelow shows the results for the cultural storytime sessions.

IntroductionIn the aftermath of the occupation of Tibet, schools were established in exile for young Tibetans to express and freely learn about their cultural heritage. This study’s purpose is to examine the relationship between Tibetan youth identity and children’s literature through the lens of libraries and education, and it consists of two parts:

● 20 interviews with Tibetan teachers, librarians, and educators.

● 3 cultural storytime sessions with TCV students, aged 8-12, where students listened to and ranked a story out of 10 points and answered a survey about reading habits and demographics.

Des Dannenbring, MLISc Candidate/ MEd Candidate

Special thanks to Dr. Isabelle Onians, Nazneen Zafaar and Hubert Decleer, Tenzin “Tenchoe” Choezom, Patrick Dowd, Phurwa Dhondup, Rinzi Sherpa, Tenzin Youdon, Dr. Rebecca Knuth, Ryan S. James, Keali‘ikauila Niheu, Cynthia Font, Rinchen Hanley, Pasang-La, Sonam-La, Dhondup Gyalpo, Mr. Namdrol Tashi, Dr. Andrew Wertheimer, my 19 SIT classmates, my homestay family in Kathmandu, and my biological family in California.

Results

● Students seemed to identify slightly less with the Hawaiian story, likely because of lack of cultural exposure.

● Educators noted need for increased publication/ quality of Tibetan children’s books.

● Reading habit has increased with each generation since the occupation of Tibet.

● There exists a need for Tibetan institutes of higher learning.

● Diaspora continues to affect Tibetan identity.

● Storytelling formats are shifting from oral to written form.

CitationsAvedon, John F. In Exile from the Land of Snows: The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama

and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest. New York: HarperCollins, 1997.Arpi, Claude. Glimpses on the History of Tibet. Dharamsala, India: The Tibet Museum, 2013.Bass, Catriona. Education in Tibet: Policy and Practice since 1950. New York, NY: St. Martin’s

Press, Inc., 1998.Cayley, Vyuyan. Children of Tibet: An Oral History of the First Tibetans to Grow Up in Exile.

Balmain, Australia: Pearlfisher Publications, 1994.Karmapa, His Holiness the 17th. Private Audience. Sarnath, India: Tibetan Monastery, 2015.Kelly, Petra K. et al. The Anguish of Tibet. Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1991.Knuth, Rebecca. Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the

Twentieth Century. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2003.Edwards, Julie Biando and Stephen P. Edwards. Beyond Article 19: Libraries and Social and

Cultural Rights. Duluth, MN: Litwin Books, 2010.Finks, Lee W. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science: Their Enduring Appeal.

Southeastern Librarian, 2010 (31:142-145). Web. 23 March 2014.Martin, Judith N. and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Sixth

Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013.Shakya, Tsering. Twice Removed: For Tibetans in North America, Maintaining Links to the

Homeland Presents Unique Challenges. Himal South Asian: A Review Magazine of

Politics and Culture. Vol 27, No. 4. 2014, 118-128.Thrangu Rinpoche. Private Audience. Sarnath, India: Tibetan Monastery, 2015.

Ink and Echoes: The Development of Tibetan Youth Identity through Reading and

Storytelling in Dharamsala Schools and Libraries

Contact Information: Des Dannenbringdann9311@hawaii.edu

Story # of Students

Avg. Age

Avg. Story Rank(10 pts.)

“Small Lie” from Arabian Nights

21 10.5 9.57

Dreamseekers (Tibetan origin)

21 8.5 9.52

Pele the Fire Goddess

23 10.4 8.52