Established in 1992, the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) assists neighbor schools by providing educational and professional development grants, student grants, and system-wide gifts. In November 2023, WFEE also helped one elementary school librarian create a diverse library for its students.

Amy Luem, a librarian at Lincoln Elementary School, contacted WFEE after realizing not all the students saw books with characters that looked like them. Luem set out to create a library containing books that facilitated inclusion, social and emotional skills, equity, and social justice for both students and staff members.

The elementary school librarian applied for a grant, which the WFEE enthusiastically approved. The librarian enrolled in an online workshop that lasted three days called How to Build Diverse Collections. The series showed Luem how to carry out an inclusion and diversity audit of the books in the library. It also showed her how to find ways to include historically underrepresented groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. When the workshop was finished, Luem received WFEE funding to purchase books for the library.

The WFEE funding and support provided the librarian with the skills to create a more diverse library independently. For more information on this particular project or to apply for funding, please visit
www.wfee.org/who-we-are.