"Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Collection Development Practices in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine: What does it look like?"

Naz Torabi, Univ of Toronto    
Mindy Thuna, University of Toronto

The focus on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) at higher education institutions led many libraries to adopt IDE as a strategic priority. There is ample evidence in the literature to support the position that library collections lack a diversity of perspectives. Over the years a number of strategies to increase the diversity of the library holdings, including adding resources from marginalized authors, have developed. However, there is no consensus on how IDE is defined and clear directions for how librarians put collection building with an IDE lens into practice are limited. To help fill this gap and based on research done over the last three years, this session will discuss the key areas of priority and actions related to building IDE library collections in STEMM fields. The authors invited IDE experts or advocates who were librarians or publishers from different geographical locations to participate in a modified 3-round e-Delphi technique. This presentation will discuss the results of this study and detail the top 10 most agreed upon areas of IDE consideration for academic libraries interested in applying an IDE lens to their STEMM collections. The session is relevant to anyone, with or without collection development responsibilities, and people in administrative roles who can influence collection development activities via planning, funding, and staff development in academic and special libraries with STEMM programs

"Classroom of Resistance: Challenging Systems of Oppression in Information Literacy and Implementing Anti-Racist Content in Course Curriculum"

Paul Hottinger, Cal Poly Pomona    
Sally Najera Romero, Cal Poly Pomona

Higher education was built on a white-centric foundation with marginalized and racialized people not included in the academy. However, today about 40% of undergraduates are students of color. Therefore, it is critical for educators to become agents of change and work to bring social justice pedagogy and curriculum into their classrooms. This lightning talk will discuss how librarians took a traditional 3-unit GE, lifelong learning course and through dismantling, reexamining and reconstructing the course’s oppressive structure, they intentionally infused anti-racist content into their curriculum to bring to light the existing systemic oppression in the academy and academic libraries to their students. The librarians began exposing the racist history of the development of the classification systems, the oppression in metadata and how the academy and its structure was not built for people/researchers of color. The librarians also incorporated examples and material from marginalized and racialized groups to bring historically silenced voices to the forefront. In alignment with their resistance to a traditional classroom structure, the librarians sought to change the culture of their classroom and lead through trust, respect, empathy, compassion and humility. This meant reflecting and revising grading policy, late submission penalization and overall tone of the syllabus to provide a more welcoming and inclusive classroom culture.