Inclusive Collections

Our Collections Development Strategy states that ‘we will create an inclusive and diverse collection that supports learning and research’. Our University strategies for education and research similarly focus on creating a welcoming, inclusive, and enabling education and research environment in line with the values of our University.

Our Inclusive Collections Group

We have established the Inclusive Collections Group to drive this forward and are actively working on ensuring a breadth of voices are reflected in our collections. The group is currently working on a range of approaches which are described below.

Projects

• Development of a reading list toolkit to help academic colleagues who want to diversify the reading they recommend to students with students on the Represent scheme, and with Library Champions.
• Application of the reading list toolkit to a range of modules in collaboration with our academics and curriculum consultants.
• Supporting the University of Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in Higher Education and Education Services on their initiatives.

Resources

• The purchase of individual items and collections, through liaison with Schools, Departments and other inclusive curriculum initiatives. Recent examples have included Struggles for Freedom, Apartheid South Africa and Gerritsen’s Women’s history collections.
• Revision of our donations and gifts policy to ensure we accept items which add breadth to our collections.
• Adding diverse and inclusive open access content to our discovery system.

Description and content

We acknowledge that institutions and their structures and methods are rooted in colonial and imperial histories. We are committed to revising our practices to be more equitable and inclusive.

Description

We endorse and apply the Cataloguing code of ethics and engage with the wider library community to ensure that the shared metadata descriptive language that appears in our discovery system Library search is improved to reflect the values of inclusivity. Where possible our staff update this descriptive metadata where it contains outdated, offensive, or harmful vocabulary.

Content

When using Library search you may discover some items which contain offensive or harmful language or content. We do not remove, censor, or restrict access to these items so that they provide a basis for critical learning and research.  Engagement with such material can be an aspect of study at university.  We strive to provide a wide range of materials that represent a variety of viewpoints, and we encourage our users to engage in respectful and open-minded dialogue. The Library does not endorse the views of any harmful or offensive material, and we are committed to creating inclusive and diverse collections and a welcoming library environment.

If you have any further questions about this policy or any items in our collections, please email librarians@le.ac.uk.