EDI Toolkit: Resource Lists
Resource lists are often the first thing that library staff in academic institutions look at when getting started on decolonisation work, however they should not be the only focus. This might be because they are the best representation of what students are learning that we have access to, and because we are directly involved in discussions with academics, processing and procurement of materials. This guide contains examples of how library workers have developed projects around the resource list service, some useful books, resources and external consultants to support you, and some points for reflection and to support discussions with academics.
Contents:
Helpful & Self Reflective Questions for Library Workers to Ask Themselves When Beginning This Work:
What is holding you back from championing decolonisation and inclusive practice when you support academics with resource lists?
How can you address these concerns?
Do you feel like you have a lack of understanding of terminology and concepts that you could develop through reading, podcasts or attending talks or discussion groups?
Is there already work being done around my institution that I could engage/collaborate with?
This can be a helpful way to include students in discussions if consultation groups already exist, make sure that you aren't duplicating work, share sources of funding for projects and hear about projects and perspectives outside of a purely library-centric concept of decolonisation work.
Why am I interested in work around decolonising resource lists?
Do I have enough experience and understanding of the issues surrounding decolonising the curriculum to begin this work?
'Decolonisation' is a term which has become really common in recent years and is used to refer to a broad range of acts within an institution. The use of this term is contested by some critics, as it's original usage was specifically related to the repatriation of stolen land and wealth to colonised countries. Critics suggest that its broad usage outside of this definition recentres whiteness, resettles theory, and extends innocence to colonisers and settlers. 'Decolonisation' when discussed in the University/College can be understood as the identification of colonialism, empire and racism as key factors which have shaped the world and our modes of knowledge creation. Decolonisation is interrogating these modes and "delinking ourselves from the structure of knowledge imposed by the West, [so that we can] 'reconstitute our ways of thinking, speaking, and living" (Tsang, 2021). “The university is a site of knowledge production and, most crucially, consecration: it has the power to decide which histories, knowledges and intellectual contributions are considered valuable" (Gebrial, 2018)
Gebrial, D. (2018) ‘Rhodes Must Fall: Oxford and Movements for Change’, in Bhambra, G. K., Gebrial, D., and Nisancioglu, K. (eds) Decolonising the Curriculum. London: Pluto Press, pp. 19–36.
Tsang, M. (no date). Decolonial? Postcolonial? What does it mean to ‘decolonise ourselves’? – Decolonising Modern Languages and Cultures, blogs.ncl.ac.uk. Available at: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/decolonisesml/2021/01/21/decolonial-postcolonial-what-does-it-mean-to-decolonise-ourselves/ (Accessed: 8 March 2022).
Do I have lived experience of racism and discrimination that I can contribute to discussions and analysis of resource list provision?
Am I, a white person, the right person to be working on this?
Decolonisation and anti-racism is the responsibility of everyone in an institution and it's important not assume that People of Colour in your institution should have a greater responsibility for educating white people on decolonisation and anti-racism, or that they will automatically be interested in getting involved in projects related to this work. Increasing diversity in hiring practices and creating an inclusive environment in an institution and your library is essential for ensuring that PoC are part of discussions on the direction of the institution, projects and library policy. If you are looking to engage PoC staff members, students or externals as consultants for projects or speakers for events you should ensure that they are paid for their time and expertise wherever possible.
Are there resources I could purchase for the library which could fill gaps in my knowledge/ the collection?
Student purchase suggestions, surveys and forums can be a great way to identify areas for development in the collection across different subject areas, and once you begin to get familiar with diverse subject areas and resources you will be better equipped to support academics to decolonise their lists.
Developing the collection doesn't have to just be about purchasing texts for students, you should ensure you have resources for your and your colleagues' own professional development too. If your budget doesn't allow for this kind of spend there are lots of good free resources online which you can find in this padlet.
Do I feel pressure to engage with/lead decolonisation/EDI work in the library because I am a person of colour?
There should be no expectation within an institution that People of Colour should be expected to lead on this work outside of their role or educate their White colleagues on racism. Educating yourself and challenging norms within your institution is everyone's responsibility, and if you want to draw on someone's expertise you should remunerate them for their time.
Best Practice from Other Institutions (what steps have they taken as an institution to make their resource lists inclusive):
Common Questions / Discussion on Points from Academics & Some Ways to Respond:
But how can I diversify my resource list when the main voices in my subject are white
As the academic that you're working with is presumably an expert in their field you may not feel qualified to respond to this statement (or equivalent), but remember that you are an expert in finding information and particularly information that may fall outwith traditional forms of publishing (ie. peer review) so you are actually really well placed to respond to this!
If you consider that in the UK in 20/21 of 22,855 professors employed across the UK 6,510 (28%) were women, 160 were Black (less than 1%), 7% were Asian, and 89% were White. Based on these statistics it is not surprising that the books and articles that academics will find most readily available through academic channels tend to be written by white men.
Begum and Saini explain in their 2019 essay how women, Black academics and academics of colour are made to feel unwelcome in academia and face discrimination making progression in their respective fields very difficult. These groups are more likely to be offered short-term or part-time contracts than their White, Male colleagues and are often tasked with additional pastoral roles outside of their academic work lessening their time for their own research. At UCL's 'Why isn't my professor black' panel Dr Ackah states that Black academics are often passed over, or their work is not considered as important to the institution as that of a white academic due to persistent racist attitudes prevalent in academia, particularly if their research interests fall outside of the Eurocentric canon.
A good example of how this systemic racism in funding bodies can impact an academics ability to succeed and publish in their field is Nottingham University's Robert Mokaya who is the UK's only Black chemisty professor. In his 15 years at Nottingham has never had a funding application accepted by UKRI which is decided through peer review. For a senior academic this is extremely unusual, particulary as Robert has a track record for excellence in his field. In that same report Sandile Mtetwa, a Black PhD student at Cambridge University said herself and other African students have decided to get jobs in the private sector rather than pursuing academia due to "prejudice" in the sector. The RSC has published an investigation which shows that racism is ''pervasive'' in the field.
Black academics and academics of colour face numerous obstacles to professional progression and publishing their work through traditional channels which have nothing to do with their talent in their subject and this is why it might feel like these voices aren't there when they are. You are just more likely to find a resource by a white man as your first search result in a library catalogue or academic database. You should impress upon your academic staff that decolonisation in resource lists is an active centring of these voices even if they are more difficult to find. It may mean that you need to look outside of peer review and academic databases and instead to blogs, podcasts, collectives, green open access publishing and conferences specifically intended to highlight diverse voices in a specific field.
I have so much work to do, I don't have time to completely revamp my resource list
This is difficult to respond to as most academics are under a lot of strain to get teaching material together for their courses, and for some choosing new resources for their list can seem like an afterthought and they roll over the same lists year after year. However without buy-in from academics resources written by predominately White authors will continue to dominate resource lists. However it's important to remember that decolonisation is not just about having more resources by PoC, but also about challenging colonial norms in the subject matter.
Some ways to help support academics might be to share existing handbooks/resource lists around their topic which they might find helpful, create workshops for academic staff around resource-sharing and championing best-practice in resource lists. If that department has an EDI discussion group you could ask if you could attend this, or help them set one up for departmental discussion. If you are doing project-work within the library catalogue you could bookmark resources that look relevant and send these on to academics as you come across them. If you are doing work with students around resource lists or purchasing diverse resources make sure and shout about these projects and resources as you are helping to create a culture of inclusive practice in your institution which will hopefully have an impact on how academics view their teaching practices within the institution.
I would like to diversify my resource list, can you add these [books by Black and PoC authors] to my additional reading section?
Sometimes academic staff with good intentions will ask you to add items to their resource list to diversify their list, but only to additional/supplementary sections of their resource lists. This can make resources by or about PoC seem like they are optional or a 'special interest' that students might want to follow up rather than being important voices in their subject.
I reference works by Black and PoC creators all the time when I'm teaching, these just aren't reflected in my resource list
The reading lists are what prospective students will see when deciding where to apply so it is important to make sure that these are reflective of what you are teaching.
Resources for Library Workers (books / articles / websites / organisations):
Women of Colour Collection and the Women of Colour Index:
There is information about this in Shanique Thomson's talk that you can find on YouTube.
Archives hub describe the collection as:
"The Women's Art Library (also known as MAKE) was originally set up as the Women Artists slide Library in London in the late 1970s. This initiative from feminist artists' developed into an arts organisation publishing catalogues, books and a magazine from 1983-2002. During this time women artists deposited unique documentation on their work and created personal files that functioned together as an alternative public space. Thousands of artists from around the world are represented in some form in this collection. In 2004 the collection became part of Goldsmiths Library Special Collections.”
Women of Colour Index Reading Group:
The Women of Colour Index (WOCI) Reading Group aims to improve visibility for women of colour artists whilst using material in the library and archive to generate discussion and practice around current social and political concerns.
WOCI is a collection of slides and papers collated by artist Rita Keegan Indexing Women of Colour artists during 1980’s and 1990’s. Reading Group sessions aim to improve the visibility of women of colour artists whilst using material in the archive to generate discussions, thoughts around practices of: anti racism, anti colonisation and political justice.
Unlock - Anti-Racism Toolkit for the Arts:
Unlock is the result of the anti-racism conference Speak-Listen-Reset-Heal that took place in autumn of 2020.
It is based on suggestions for change made by those with lived experience of racism in the arts. Unlock offers a practical step-by-step process to think about what anti-racist action you can take in your workplace. It invites you to read through suggestions, and choose what you can do, and when you will do it.
The Anti-Racist Curriculum Project Guide:
A set of descriptions and ideas for using the resources developed as part of the Anti-Racist Curriculum Project. A good starting point for anti-racist work and tools for development of projects and engaging students/other stakeholders.
Narrative Expansions: Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries:
This book explores the ways in which academic libraries are working to address the historic legacies of colonialism, in the context of decolonising the curriculum and the university. It acknowledges and explores the tensions and complexities around the use of the term decolonisation, how it relates to other social justice aims and approaches, including critical librarianship, and what makes this work specific to decolonisation.
Social Equity Resources - University of Nebraska, Omaha:
Very well researched resources relating to lots of different topics including anti-racism anti-queermisia and more.
Diverse reading lists from academics:
Examples gathered from academic collegues
How Diverse is your Reading List? (Probably not very…) | Global Policy Journal:
The dominance of scholars from the global North is widespread, and this extends to the student curriculum. Data on reading lists shows large authorial imbalances, which has consequences for the methodological tools available in research and allows dominant paradigms in disciplines to remain unchallenged.
Democracy, Diversity and Decolonisation: Staff-student partnerships in a reading list review:
Dave Thomas is Student Success Project Manager, PhD researcher and BAME Staff Network Co-Chair at the University of Kent. In this blog, he explains the importance of decolonising the curriculum to ensure diversity of opinion and democratic thought.
Reading list audit to display automatically for a user the institution and country of the first author data for all journal items on any given Imperial reading list
This article reports on findings of two small projects aimed at decolonising reading lists and the wider curriculum at Northumbria University.
The article discusses the impact of this project, which has led to a Diversity Mark process, and the Diversity Mark Toolkit, which can be used in any discipline when putting together reading lists to create a more culturally competent curriculum. It concludes by considering other systemic changes needed, with particular attention to changes needed in library services and collections.
Co-constructing a Liberated / Decolonised Arts Curriculum:
This article presents a case study of liberating reading lists through a staff-student collaboration in a UK arts university. It characterizes reading lists as a familiar but under researched feature of academic life and discusses their practical and symbolic role in maintaining Western / Eurocentric / White disciplinary canons, and how they inform what it means to be 'well read' in a discipline.
Decolonising the University (Open Access e-book):
Offering resources for students and academics to challenge and resist coloniality inside and outside the classroom, Decolonising the University provides the tools for radical pedagogical, disciplinary and institutional change.
External People to Contact to Deliver Training & Organisations Where You Can Apply for Funding:
A Note: Although we are conscious that library budgets can often be tight, if you are planning on engaging external staff/speakers/workshop facilitators and even your own students as consultants for improving your resource list service (which we encourage!) it is essential that you pay them for their time. If it's not possible for you to do this through your own budget there are several groups in Scotland where you can apply for funds for project-work.
Shades of Noir: Shades of Noir is an independent program that covers curriculum design, pedagogies of social justice through representation, cultural currency and sccessible knowledge. They offer consultancy services and support including education and development through dialogue, problem-solving and critical thinking. This is intended to '[encourage] educators, researchers, and clinicians to develop an awareness that injustice exists and thereafter, through the process of reflexivity, [to] deeply examine the processes of power that create injustice and engage in action that would lead to transformation in support of a social justice agenda.'
Carissa Chew: Carissa is a PhD student and teaching assistant at the University of Hawai'i researching East African racial identity between 1940-1980. She has worked closely with several institutions including NLS, The Imperial War Museum and the Glasgow School of Art to improve cataloguing standards around language in the context of decolonisation and inclusive practice more generally. She also works as a professional speaker and workshop facilitator and created the site Histories of Colour which is a multimedia adult learning platform dedicated to making non-white history free. She can be contacted at Historiesofcolour@gmail.com
Intersectional GLAM: Intersectional GLAM provides Consultancy & Training to increase diversity, inclusion & intersectionality in galleries, libraries, archives and museums.
'Memory institutions have a social responsibility to protect our collective memories. However, unequal power structures result in many forgotten, undervalued and erased histories from various underrepresented groups. This includes; LGBTQIA, Disabled, BAME, First Nations, Neuro-divergent, working-class and women. We believe with training and tweaks to current organisational practices we can give these voices the space they deserve.'
Scottish Library and Information Council - Funding: SLIC provide annual opportunities to apply for funding for projects across public, academic, school, health and special interest libraries. The criteria for application changes annually and this means that sometimes only certain kinds of libraries can apply. To keep up to date with deadlines for application you can subscribe to their newsletter by scrolling to the bottom of this page.
Scottish Book Trust: Scottish Book Trust provide funding for events and speakers through their Live Literature fund and Scottish Book Week series of events. The Scottish Book Week fund might be useful if you are looking to highlight authors outside of the traditional canon of a subject as part of your broader resource list work. Their Live Literature fund is limited for use only with authors in their Author Directory so may not be as useful.
CILIPS Research Fund: If the work you intend to undertake will end in a research output (ie conference paper or journal article) you could apply for funding through the CILIPS Research Fund
Sources of Funding within your Institution: Even if you don't have funds available within the library there might other sources of funding within your institution that you could apply for depending on your project. For instance if there's a student partnership, or sustainability fund you could tie the work you're doing into these themes. Similarly if you partner with different EDI groups in schools around your institution they might have money set aside for projects and development, and this might mean that staff and students are more likely to engage if the work is specifically tied to their subject or promoted by tutors.
Accounts of Academics Who Changed Their Resource Lists:
This session reviews the diversity of authors named in reading lists for comparable first year undergraduate courses at five Scottish Law schools. The short report which is the focus of this talk explores relevant literature and methodologies to consider whether the authorship of texts used for teaching are representative of the profession or student body.
Promoting the use of a diverse range of sources has several pedagogical benefits. It encourages students to become more autonomous learners by going beyond their reading lists and to think critically about the types of sources they're engaging with.
If you have suggestions of resources you think should be included in this toolkit, please contact the SCURL EDI group via the contact form.
Review cycle: Links and guidance to be reviewed on an annual basis. Next review date August 2024.