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Stepstools were cumbersome, unstable, and cluttered aisles

We all are aging

There were staff and patrons with mobility and vision concerns

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A view through the magnolia trees in front of McKinstry Library's main entrance on Lincoln College campus.

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Inclusion, Accessibility, Diversity and Additional Considerations at Lincoln College

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Inclusion, Accessibility, Diversity and Additional Considerations at Lincoln College

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Our collection management project focused on these areas:

Accessibility
What are the barriers to physically access the stacks? How visible are signs and spine labels?

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Inclusivity and Representation
How much of the collection currently reflects and represents our predominantly Black student population? International student population? LGBTQIAP student population? Patrons who use mobility aids and assistive technologies? Patrons who practice religions and spiritualities that are not Christianity?

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Financial Considerations
How can we boost local economy through library acquisitions and purchasing? How can we share the wealth with small owned booksellers? How can we use our small materials budget wisely to update the collection?

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Cover image for book This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

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Asè Book Boutique gifted us This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron and so we made it a giveaway for library patrons. Though it sat in a prominent place on our circulation desk that everyone walked by and would stop at no one took it. When I moved it to the lobby of our building that we shared with IT and a lecture hall it was taken within an hour. We found this to be the case with any books we gave away.

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Cover image for Information Services to Diverse Populations book

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A must-have book available in print at 10 I-Share libraries and in electronic format from ABC-CLIO and EBSCOhost eBooks. This provides a framework for librarians and library staff to do critical self-reflection and have the difficult conversations that will inform how the library and its staff can best serve their unique community.

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Originally, this was shared with me during a Safe Zone training and is available on the Safe Zone Project website as a curriculum. The handout was developed by It's Pronounced Metrosexual and is a helpful diagram on understanding sex, gender, and sexuality.

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This article was instrumental in helping us do an overhaul on our purchasing model. Before the overhaul, we bought all of our print through Amazon. After the overhaul, we bought from many of the booksellers listed in the article as well as Black-owned and LGBTQIAP-owned businesses.

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FEATURE. First publishedJuly 2021 (Book Links).

Decolonization work and graphic novels may not seem like an obvious pairing, but in fact, the two can go hand in hand. In recent years, library workers have extended diversity efforts into the realm of comics with varying degrees of success. The explosion of children's and young adult series, the branching out of new imprints and indie publishers into the format, and the expansion of representation efforts by superhero brands like Marvel and DC (in fits and starts) has meant that it is easier now than ever before to buy graphic novels and comic books with diverse representation. Yet decolonization in libraries-and specifically within collection development-has only begun gaining traction in the last few years.

Although diversity work and decolonization complement one another, they are not synonymous, each having its own goals and processes. I am not Indigenous and do not claim to speak for Indigenous people; however, as a queer and genderqueer Black librarian deeply invested in IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and access), I believe in collective liberation and working together to dismantle oppressive systems, and I hope this list of tips and recommendations will help library workers begin their decolonizing journeys.
Decolonization: A Primer
What is decolonization? Originally, it referred to the political act of declaring and fighting for independence from imperial rule. Today, in its broadest and most simplistic definition, decolonization is the decentering of whiteness and imperialistic systems and ideologies. In their book For Indigenous Minds Only: A Decolonizing Handbook, professors and activists Waziyatawin and Michael Yellow Bird took it further, writing that decolonization is "the meaningful and active resistance to the forces of colonialism that perpetuate the subjugation and/or exploitation of our minds, bodies, and lands. Its ultimate purpose is to overturn the colonial structure and realize Indigenous liberation."

Decolonization should be treated like a verb; it is a process and a conversation rather than a description or static state. This article focuses on a very small step within a very large body of work, work that must be done on both the individual and systemic levels. It is a good starting point but cannot be the end.
Finding Indigenous-Centered Titles
Many libraries and systems purchase titles from a few big, centralized repositories, but these are typically owned by white, Western people, and decolonizing means putting your money where your mouth is. The following list includes booksellers and publishing companies that produce and distribute Indigenous stories, followed by a bibliography of graphic novels and zines recommended for all collections.
Booksellers and Publishers Arsenal Pulp Press
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Arsenal Pulp publishes a variety of diverse and intersectional books and graphic novels, including several Native-authored titles.
Birchbark Books
There are a handful of Native-owned bookstores in the country, including Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota, owned by renowned author Louise Erdrich.
HighWater Press
HighWater, an imprint of Portage & Maine Press, is another Canadian publisher, this one specializing in Indigenous writers in Canada. It prints in a variety of genres and formats.
Red Planet Books & Comics
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this is the only Native-owned comic book store in the U.S. What better place to buy Indigenous-centered comics and graphic novels than an Indigenous-owned comics shop?
Rezium Studios
Rezium Studios produces the Super Indian comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Arigon Starr, a member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma.
Graphic Novels
The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book. By Gord Hill. 2010. Arsenal Pulp, $12.95 (9781551523606). Gr. 9-12.

7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga. By David Alexander Robertson. Illus. by Scott B. Henderson. 2012. HighWater, $34 (9781553793557). Gr. 8-12.

Fire Starters. By Jen Storm. Illus. by Scott B. Henderson. 2016. HighWater, $18.95 (9781553796855). Gr. 7-12.

A Girl Called Echo, v.1: Pemmican Wars. By Katherena Vermette. Illus. by Scott B. Henderson. 2017. HighWater, $18.95 (9781553796787). Gr. 7-12.

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, v.1. Ed. by Hope Nicholson. 2015. Alternate History, $17.99 (9780987715258). Gr. 7-12.

The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel.By Drew Hayden Taylor. 2007. Annick, $21.95 (9781554511006). Gr. 7-12.

The Outside Circle. By Patti LaBoucane-Benson. Illus. by Kelly Mellings. 2015. House of Anansi, $19.95 (9781770899377).

The Reckoner Rises, v.1: Breakdown. By David A. Robertson. Illus. by Scott B. Henderson and Donovan Yaciuk. 2020. HighWater, $21.95 (9781553798903). Gr. 9-12.

Red: A Haida Manga. By Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. 2014. Douglas and McIntyre, $19.95 (9781771620222). Gr. 7-12.

Sovereign Traces, v.1: Not (Just) (An)Other. Ed. by Gordon D. Henry Jr. and Elizabeth LaPensée. 2018. Michigan State/Makwa Enewed, $29.95 (9781938065064).

Super Indian, v.1. By Arigon Starr. Illus. by the author. 2012. Wacky Productions Unlimited, $20 (9780985953508). Gr. 7-12.

Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers, v.1. Ed. by Arigon Starr. 2016. Native Realities, $19.99 (9780990694755).

This Place: 150 Years Retold. By Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and others. Illus. by Tara Audibert and others. 2019. HighWater, $36 (9781553797586). Gr. 9-12.
Promotion, Promotion, Promotion!
There are countless ways to help these titles circulate:

Use ever-popular options like endcaps, shelf talkers, and book displays.

Make an effort to include Indigenous authors-and those from other underrepresented communities-in readers' advisory, booktalks, book clubs, giveaways, staff picks, book lists, and on social media.

Handsell-in my experience, it'sthe best way to introduce new readers to titles they might not pick up on their own.

Partner with educators, if you're a school librarian, to update the curriculum to be more mindful of Indigenous histories and cultures.

Invite Indigenous creators and activists to be on library programs and panels. Reach out to your local tribal representatives and Native community organizations about potential outreach and collaboration opportunities.

For library workers in need of a solid background on the issues, get a copy of Native Americans in Comic Books: A Critical Study, by Michael A. Sheyahshe.

Making Use of Zines
Because zines exist outside of traditional publishing and are often created as a form of resistance and counterculture expression, they can make an excellent medium for exploring decolonization. Consider providing free zine-making materials to your library patrons and hosting a Zine Fest spotlighting Indigenous creators. Some zines are available for free online, while others can be purchased. I recommend adding both kinds to graphic novel collections.

Zine publishers, like Indigenous Action Media, Indige*Zine, Muchacha Fanzine, and Warrior Publications, are good places to start, as well as the following individual titles:

ʤə́ kʼʷ: An Indigenous Art Zine. By the yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective. 2019.

D.A.N.G! (Daydreaming, Awkward, Native, Girl). By Amber McCrary. 2016.

Diné: Our Survival Is Bound to Theirs. By kuwa jasiri. 2018.

Everyone Calls Themselves an Ally until It Is Time to Do Some Real Ally Shit. By Xhopakelxhit. 2015.

Qualifications of Being. By Raven Two Feathers and Jonny Cechony. 2020.

Queer Indigenous Girl (series). By Se'mana Thompson. 2017.
Decolonization beyond Collection Development
Although this article is about decolonizing graphic novel collections, most of the concepts herein can be transferred and expanded upon in other collection areas-and beyond collection development entirely. Once you have a basic understanding of how to begin decolonizing and diversifying your graphic novel collection, and have added some Indigenous-centered titles to your shopping carts, it is time to talk about what comes next.

Take stock of the books already on your shelves and the way the physical space is used. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do they traffic in harmful stereotypes or promote hostility or disempowerment of vulnerable communities?

Are the subject headings in your catalog inclusive, or do they contain offensive and outdated terminology?

Do you have marginalized participants on or leading panels and programs all year or only during heritage and pride months?

Do you have written and enforced policies that defend vulnerable patrons from bigotry and abuse?

Do police officers patrol your branch?

When thinking about the institution as whole, consider:

Are you hiring and retaining BIPOC staff at all levels of employment, including in leadership positions?

Are library staff being paid fair living wages, at both the paraprofessional and professional levels?

Are you still evaluating applicants based on "fit" or proximity to your system?

Do BIPOC staff and community members have a say in how the library functions, and are those voices nurtured and supported?

Are you doing outreach to local communities of marginalized or disenfranchised people? Is your system still beholden to "neutrality," even in situations when it causes more harm than good?

Are patrons being fined, charged for lost materials, or sent to collections?

Are your policies for giving out library cards inclusive of undocumented or houseless people and people whose chosen name does not match their legal ID?

Is IDEA being taught, discussed, practiced, and engaged with on both the individual and system levels?

Are those who resist, hinder, or slow down the process of diversifying and decolonizing being called out or catered to?

These questions are difficult and may reveal unsatisfactory answers, but do not let discomfort stop you from doing the work. A truly decolonized library would look and function radically differently from how most libraries do and would require dismantling the oppressive, cisalloheteronormative, white-supremacist system.

As mentioned earlier, decolonization is a process, not a checkbox. Decolonizing your graphic novel collection is part of the larger work of decolonizing your library. We often talk about the library as the heart of our community and one of the last places where the public can freely access information. To fully live up to our mission, we must break down the barriers erected by white supremacy. It is vital that library workers come together to decenter and shift the current power structure to create a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible library for all patrons.

Alexandria Brown (they/them) is a high school librarian, award-winning speculative fiction critic for Tor.com and Locus Magazine, and author of two books on the history of marginalized communities, Hidden History of Napa Valley (2019) and Lost Restaurants of Napa Valley and Their Recipes (2020).

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Decolonizing Your Library: Building an Inclusive Graphic Novel Collection and Beyond, by By Alexandria Brown. | Booklist Online

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FEATURE. First publishedJuly 2021 (Book Links). Decolonization work and graphic novels may not seem like an obvious pairing, but in fact, the two can go hand in hand. In recent years, library workers have extended diversity efforts into the realm of comics with varying degrees of success.

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What kicked off our Collection Management project was a re-assessment of our stacks. Our physical space was rapidly shrinking due to campus admin re-allocating library space as faculty spaces - offices, lounge. The shelving we had was daunting - too high, too low, and not close to full. Our physical items collection had low circulation because much of it was outdated, offensive, and irrelevant.

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Having an ADA compliant library is necessary by law, but you can go above the ADA requirements to become an ADA friendly library and better help your patrons with different abilities.

Words

Think about how you address or how you and your colleagues talk about people with different abilities. Use phrases that highlight the person more than the disability. For example: a person who uses a wheelchair, a person who has a mental illness, a person with limited sight. The disability always comes second, and the person comes first. Also think about common phrases that might not be inclusive such as "falls on deaf ears" or "the weather is so bipolar this week." While it is common to use deaf in this context and to refer to things as bipolar people who are deaf or have a bipolar disorder might not feel included if you use their different abilities as a negative. The words you use and how you use them matter. If you're unsure how to refer to someone, just ask.

Space

But words are not the only part you and your library need to think about. Space, collections, accessibility of programs are all topics you should think about while making your library friendlier. Take into account the physical space of your library and how ADA requirements may require that you make some adjustments to how your library is arranged. The ADA requires 36 inches between aisles of shelving units, but the recommendation is 42 inches. Six inches may not seem like a big difference, but it could mean having a patron in a wheelchair be able to turn around in the middle of an aisle versus having to back out of an aisle or go the whole way down the aisle and retrace their path. There is a requirement of 40 inches between furniture, but again having a wider area, even if it is just a few inches, could make it easier for people using motorized wheelchairs, which can be larger than non-motorized wheelchairs, get around in the library.

Periodical shelving should not be taller than 48 inches, but there is not a listing for the height of bookshelves. Book shelving is another area to think about. If your library needs to use top and bottom shelves to fit the collection make sure there is signage pointing to where someone can ask for help if they cannot access a book. Sometimes books on the bottom shelves can be as hard to access as those on the top.

Assistive Media

Make sure your library staff is informed about alternatives. The Talking Books Program is amazing and not always talked about. In Pennsylvania, the local Library of Assisted Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) has wonderful handouts and does trainings for libraries. The Erie County Public Library staff has gone through several of them. This program provides large print and audiobooks plus players for people with sight differences. When I explain it to patrons, they think the program is not for them because they only have trouble reading regular print, but this program is for them. LAMP has a larger large print collection than most libraries could afford.

The Talking Books program can get audiobooks that are not commercially released as audiobooks because of the type of work they do. Check out your local Talking Books library and see if they have trainings available for you and your colleagues or staff. Also, the program has materials for kids and young adults as well.

Mark Lee, administrator for LAMP said, "Hot spots are piloted with us. During the pandemic we couldn't ship anything and realized people didn't have access to the internet. We put Braille labeling on them. We tried to make the more accessible since most don't have audio cues and are very inaccessible for most people with sight issues. " He continued, "Other libraries have been calling asking how we did it. National Library Service has allowed us (LAMP) into a locked down cell phone service pilot program where people can access BARD." BARD is an audiobook system available for smart devices and tables. See what types of accessible media library materials are available for your state.

ALA Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy

In 2001, the American Library Association created a policy for patrons with different abilities. If you are not offering these services, try to find ways to incorporate them into your programming. "Libraries must not discriminate against individuals with disabilities and shall ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to library resources. To ensure such access, libraries may provide individuals with disabilities with services such as extended loan periods, waived late fines, extended reserve periods, library cards for proxies, books by mail, reference services by fax or email, home delivery service, remote access to the OPAC, remote electronic access to library resources, volunteer readers in the library, volunteer technology assistants in the library, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter or realtime captioning at library programs, and radio reading services. Libraries should include persons with disabilities as participants in the planning, implementing, and evaluating of library services, programs, and facilities."

There are organizations that will do walk-throughs of your facilities and let you know how you can make your library more ADA friendly. If you have questions or want to have a more inclusive facility, think about reaching out to schedule a tour. The Erie County Public Library contacted The Human Relations Commission ( https://eriecountypa.gov/departments/human-relations-commission/) who put them in touch with Community Resources for Independence (CRI) ( https://www.crinet.org/), who did an initial walk-through of the library.

It is quite easy to see people who have physical different abilities, but those with invisible different abilities are not as easy to spot or know how to immediately help. Asking your administration to host or having your staff taking a mental health first aid training can help with some of these invisibilities but not all. There are some diseases that attack the body from within like lupus or fibromyalgia that affect what a patron can do, but we, as library staff, might not be able to see.

Above all, be helpful and kind when dealing with requests. You have no idea what someone else is experiencing. There are hundreds of other ways to be more ADA friendly. If you are interested in more resources, please see the following:

Basic Requirements

ALA 2001 Policy

Prioritizing Accessibility

Tags: ADA compliance at the library, ADA friendly library, Assistive technology

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Make Your Library ADA Friendly, Not Just ADA Compliant

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Having an ADA compliant library is necessary by law, but you can go above the ADA requirements to become an ADA friendly library and better help your patrons with different abilities. Think about how you address or how you and your colleagues talk about people with different abilities.

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For those who need visuals these presentation slides demonstrate limitations and barriers to accessing libraries from the outside and the inside.

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View of library display case with books and information.

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DISPLAY CASES: Improving Visibility & Access

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DISPLAY CASES: Improving Visibility & Access

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My very first display. It had a number of problems.

1. A work order with facilities to fix the lighting.

2. Printouts heavy in small font text.

3. Heavy, unwieldy glass doors that made access to the circulating books difficult.

4. On short notice, I used books that were in circulation but had not had a check-out in a long time.

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For those who need tables, diagrams, measurements, and questions to consider these checklists provide a template for your Accommodations & Accessibility Plan.

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Birchbark Books*
ATCG Books & Comics (formerly Red Planet Books & Comics)
Asè Book Boutique*
Bold Strokes Books
Mahogany Books

*sell Education/Discipline-Specific/Academic selections

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This Disability Resource Guide libguide is a table of contents linking out to specific libguides focused on each disability listed. A great place to start if your library is wanting to focus on information needs for specific populations in your community.

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The Americans with Disabilities Act celebrated its 25 th anniversary in 2015 and while many libraries are proud of being ADA compliant, there still is a deficit in resources for and about individuals with disabilities. These resources exist, but are rarely highlighted as an aspect of the library collection. With funding from an American Library Association Carnegie-Whitney Grant, we have created a list of resource guides on various disabilities, disability theory, and assistive technologies in an effort to highlight resources in these areas. These guides are unique because they provide a centralized location for materials on common disabilities, bringing together resources like popular literature, movies, websites, journals, databases and assistive technologies.

Below you will find a list of the guides created under this project:

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LibGuides: ALA Carnegie-Whitney Grant Project: Disability Resource Guide Table of Contents: Table of Contents

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The Americans with Disabilities Act celebrated its 25 th anniversary in 2015 and while many libraries are proud of being ADA compliant, there still is a deficit in resources for and about individuals with disabilities. These resources exist, but are rarely highlighted as an aspect of the library collection.

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A person summons candle wicks to light by raising their arms and hands in upward motion.

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RESOLUTIONS for DISPLAY CASES: Improving Visibility & Access

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RESOLUTIONS for DISPLAY CASES: Improving Visibility & Access

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1. Facilities repaired faulty wiring a couple months later. In the intermediary time, we researched battery operated/WiFi connected lighting to add to the cases as a temporary resolution.

2. For future displays, I printed off copies of relevant articles for patrons to take with them and pinned up more graphics, as well as bigger font text in phrases avoiding blocks of text.

3. My boss and I removed the glass doors and relocated them in storage.

4. To avoid last minute displays, I used the National Day Calendar website for deciding what observances to select and guide collection development purchases.

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A bookcase with comics, graphic novels, and illustrated books. A comic book style sign sits atop that reads, "Graphic Novels."

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At one point, campus had a student-run comics reading club. From discussions I had with the organizer, it sounded like there was interest from students for more illustrated books. We had some spare book cases and graphic novel spine labels and got busy assembling this small but mighty collection. Additionally, we added a new item location in Alma. Our purchasing for this collection moving forward reflected books that were for entertainment, artistry, novel adaptations, teaching, and learning.

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A stack of books purchased for October's displays.

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Some of these books were purchased for displays in October for the following observances:

National Down Syndrome Month

LGBTQIAP History Month

National Dwarfism Awareness Month

National Sensory Processing Awareness Month

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Instagram post with image of books spread across a table.

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Sources for discovering new books and books on marginalized subjects:

Author posts on social media

Goodreads newsletters

Online booksellers feature & events feeds

Article bibliographies

Physical items searches on subjects related to monthly observances

Author CV searches

Discussions at circ desk with students and staff about what they're watching, reading, and hobbies

Podcast mentions

Radio and TV mentions

Author newsletters

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Cover images for "A Queer History of the United States" by Michael Bronski (plus young people edition) & "Asexual Erotics" by Ela Przybylo

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Our campus was in a rural community. As a queer person, I recognized that the larger community was not a safe space to be "out". Campus was not like the rest of higher ed. where everyone has their preferred pronouns denoted in their signature, added to their nametags and name plates, nor was anyone discussing gender and gender expression. It was like queerness did not exist, though I knew it did even if it was not being discussed. Books are often tools and/or the gateway to getting people to talk and acknowledge that gender identity and gender expressions outside of the cisgender heteronorms exist.

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From August 2021 to March 2022, over 2,000 outdated, irrelevant, and offensive physical items were removed from the collection and given to Better World Books with a small kickback.

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Mock-up of the monthly newsletter we designed.

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We shopped around for e-newsletter apps and software and none of them fit our needs. We ended up designing something very similar to the image above in Outlook. The IT department granted me access to the campus distribution lists, so that faculty, staff, and students at the Lincoln and Normal campuses would receive this each month.

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BTN
The highest shelf was less than 48" off the ground and the lowest shelf was between 18" and 24" off the ground.

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BTN
We went from buying less than 10% content written by Black authors and/or featuring Black characters to buying over 40%.

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BTN
Circulation statistics for print items increased with much of the newly purchased items being requested by I-Share libraries.

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BTN
Once, we created a reading nook that contained a couch and our graphic novels bookcase we saw our student "regulars" use this space and stay longer.

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BTN
Because of our newsletter content, students were approaching us with purchase requests and we saw an increase in instruction requests from faculty.

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BTN
When we sent out our library evaluation form to faculty in January, we received nearly all positive feedback. The one negative response we had was from an adjunct who was upset they had to ask permission to be in library staff areas and use library staff only supplies.

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BTN
The college president* mentioned the library's efforts in their spring all-staff meeting and commenting that they were excited about everything the library was doing to "incorporate diversity".

*It should be noted that campus admin rarely spoke about the library.

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Monthly Newsletter
Considerations:

Each image had alt text

Image size would be uniform

Purple background matched purple on LC website

Color contrasts increased viewability

Each section of newsletter was divided by bold, enlarged headings

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Monthly Newsletter
Content sections:

New books (mix of entertainment and scholarly)

New databases (when applicable)

E-book highlights from online collections (mix of EBSCO & DOAB)

Monthly displays, monthly observances being celebrated, information about observance, highlights about materials in displays

New library services (when applicable)

New library features (ex: bookcases, book locations)

Reminder of library services (ex: sharing instruction request form to target faculty)

Staff highlight (on occasion)

Hours (regular and holiday)

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Environmental Impact
Where do the purged items go? How much should we be spending on paperback and hardback protective covers? How quickly will books degrade due to humidity, dry air, dust, sunlight?

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The Anti-Oppression LibGuides cover Anti-Racism, Anti-Transmisia, Anti-Ableism, Anti-Islamomisia, Anti-Sanism, Anti-Queermisia, Anti-Judeomisia, Anti-Fatmisia, Activism 101, and Social Justice Zines. This is a great place to dive in and familiarize one's self with social justice work.

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is the range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identity & orientation, age, socioeconomic class, physical ability or attributes, neurodivergence or neurological condition, religious or ethical values system, and national origin. (adapted from Ferris State University)

is defined as "the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial, and fair." The concept of equity is closely tied to fairness and justice, and all three are context-specific to the historical, systemic barriers, disadvantages, and power disparities present in any given situation. It is helpful to think of equity as not simply a desired state of affairs or a "finish line," but instead as a continuous structural concept-a lens and mindset (proactively reinforced by policies, practices, attitudes, and actions) through which power and ownership are redistributed and inequity is challenged and addressed. (adapted from Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide)

is involvement and empowerment, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized. An inclusive community promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; it values, celebrates, and recognizes the enriching benefits of diversity and practices respect for the talents, beliefs, identities, and lived experiences of its members. (adapted from Ferris State University)

is the systematic fair treatment of all people along all axes of identity and of any social position. In practice, it is the proactive operationalization of policies, practices, attitudes, and actions resulting in equitable access, opportunities, treatment, empowerment, and outcomes for all. (adapted from Center for the Study of Social Policy)

". Diversity & Inclusion have to do with the acknowledgment, valuing, celebration, and empowerment of difference, whereas Diversity & Inclusion" is a very frequently heard phrase. Though they go hand in hand, diversity & inclusion is notthe same as anti-oppression ference. Diversity & Inclusion and Anti-Oppression are all necessary in order to work toward Equity and Justice. Anti-Oppression challenges the systems and systemic biases that devalue and marginalize dif

Note: Definitions for diversity are...well...diverse. Context and environment play a big part in what we mean when we say "diversity," and as social justice movements have gained media spotlight, the term has unfortunately become somewhat hollowed out from being overused and under-defined from situation to situation. The definitions above do notcapture the many, many cultural and political nuances embedded in these terms, rather they are intended to provide a broad scaffolding for understanding and engaging with the dialogues in and outside Simmons a nd on which more specific iterations of these concepts as they apply to particular communities can be structured.

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Outreach
How do we inform the campus community about these changes? How do we highlight the new purchases within the library? How do we drive interest and engagement in our collection, resources, and services?

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Assessment
How do we get campus feedback? How do we evaluate use?

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