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![References & further information
• Arday, J, and Mirza, H.S. (2018). Dismantling race in higher education: racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy.
Palgrave Macmillan.
• Diversity in the curriculum at the University of Kent: a collaborative approach https://talis.wistia.com/medias/o0cvulqa6s
• Gabriel, D. and Tate, S.A. (2017). Inside the Ivory Tower: Narratives of Women of Colour Surviving and Thriving in British
Academia. Trentham Books.
• Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial, Kerem Nişancıoğlu (eds) (2019)Decolonising the University. Pluto Press: London
• Ferguson, R et al (2019). Innovating Pedagogy 2019: Open University Innovation Report 7. Milton Keynes: The Open
University. [https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating-pedagogy-2019.pdf]
• Schucan Bird, K. and Pitman, L. (2019). How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and
decolonisation in the UK Schucan Bird, K., Pitman, L. How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation
and decolonisation in the UK. High Educ 79, 903–920 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9
• Universities UK (2019) Black, Asian and minority ethnic student attainment at UK universities: #ClosingtheGap‘
[https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2019/bame-student-attainment-uk-universities-
closing-the-gap.pdf]
• The white elephant in the room: ideas for reducing racial inequalities in higher education https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2019/09/HEPI_The-white-elephant-in-the-room_Report-120-FINAL-EMBAROED-19.09.19.pdf](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/liberv2-210226202955/85/LIBER-conference-Toolkit-for-change-diversifying-library-collections-9-320.jpg)
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LIBER conference: Toolkit for change diversifying library collections
- 1. Toolkit for change:diversifying library collections SarahField & Emma Mires Richards, LiaisonLibrarians
- 2. Context Strategic aims wideningparticipation and addressing attainment gaps • Student Success (EDI) Project 2015 – 2020 Student campaigns on decolonisation Kent Union • Decolonise UKC • Success library colloborations • OPERA Project using reading lists “The University should aim to diversify the content of its curriculum and make it more inclusive, starting with reviewing curricula to ensure that a range of ideas and academic thoughts are represented.” BME Student Voices Report, Kent Union 2017
- 3. Rationale – studentswant diverse resources! “I’d take so much pride in my studies and be so happy. I’d just be soaked in my studies. And because everyone on the course is doing it you can have a proper conversation… let’s talk about it.” (Black stage 3 student, focus group Feb 2019)
- 4.
- 6. Internal Impact -engagement • Student feedback • Additional activities professional services • Witnessed the impact of pilots – developing processes and support to mainstream with other schools. • Book groups – fostering sense of belonging (safe spaces) • Developing in-house skills and knowledge for staff “There was a general consensus that students weren’t aware that contributing or changing the reading list was an option. There was also an assumption that the reading list was white British male-oriented and that’s just the way it is. The view was expressed that more representation could encourage more engagement given they know where the sources were coming from in the first place.” (Evangeline Agyeman, Social Sciences student) “I believe without diversity; our perspectives will as a consequence be limited to a Eurocentric outlook, which does not display the critical thinking that we are so often encouraged to do at university level” (Collins Konadu-Mensah, Social Sciences student)
- 7. Embedding practice &providing support Diversity toolkit Providing practical advice to academics on finding diverse resources in their discipline. • Website - https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/readinglists/help/diversify.html • Interactive technologies - Diverse STEM resources https://padlet.com/sf434/pdetj89q3jgb • Reading list retreats – embedding diversity as an element of review guidance Diversity Mark Award • Moodle badge that is displayed in each awarded module. • Established process and criteria for awarding individuals and schools • Testing academic year 2019/2020 for launch Autumn 2020
- 8. External recognition • Bestpractice Share practice with academic library community including networks and partnerships via events and mailing lists (JISCMail LIS-DECOLONISE@JISCMAIL.AC.UK ALISS Quarterly article - See yourself on the shelf: a collaborative approach for diversifying library Collections (authored by library staff) • Award winning Talis Aspire User Group Creativity Award 2019
- 9. References & furtherinformation • Arday, J, and Mirza, H.S. (2018). Dismantling race in higher education: racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy. Palgrave Macmillan. • Diversity in the curriculum at the University of Kent: a collaborative approach https://talis.wistia.com/medias/o0cvulqa6s • Gabriel, D. and Tate, S.A. (2017). Inside the Ivory Tower: Narratives of Women of Colour Surviving and Thriving in British Academia. Trentham Books. • Gurminder K. Bhambra, Dalia Gebrial, Kerem Nişancıoğlu (eds) (2019)Decolonising the University. Pluto Press: London • Ferguson, R et al (2019). Innovating Pedagogy 2019: Open University Innovation Report 7. Milton Keynes: The Open University. [https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating-pedagogy-2019.pdf] • Schucan Bird, K. and Pitman, L. (2019). How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK Schucan Bird, K., Pitman, L. How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK. High Educ 79, 903–920 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9 • Universities UK (2019) Black, Asian and minority ethnic student attainment at UK universities: #ClosingtheGap‘ [https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2019/bame-student-attainment-uk-universities- closing-the-gap.pdf] • The white elephant in the room: ideas for reducing racial inequalities in higher education https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp- content/uploads/2019/09/HEPI_The-white-elephant-in-the-room_Report-120-FINAL-EMBAROED-19.09.19.pdf
Editor's Notes
- #2 Intros
- #3 1. Responses to government, sector and University level strategies around widening participation in HE and addressing attainment gaps for students with protected characteristics. Guidance from the Office for Students (OfS) requires Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to focus on the following: Improving student retention, by reducing the number of students that withdraw early from HE. Narrowing the gap between the retention rates of the most advantaged and most disadvantaged groups. Improving outcomes for different student groups by addressing the unexplained differences in attainment. Universities EDI stategy: “the University will continue to work toward creating a truly inclusive environment by further embedding EDI into everyday life and work practices and by enabling all those within the University to build their understanding of the issues around EDI, helping them to design and implement approaches that work in their areas and teams.” (Annual EDI report 2018/2019 https://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-equalityanddiversity/local/edireport.html?tab=looking-ahead) Manifest in Student Success Project an institutional research project investigating student attainment and retention. Through researching data for our own institution at schools level and developing a range of interventions to improve those scores 2. Student campaigns HE sector has seen a growth in student driven campaigns around decolonising and diversifying the curricula in recent years – emerging from the Rhode must fall in South Africa and including SOAS and UCL amongst others in the UK. Local examples : Kent union had their own 2017 ‘diversify my curriculum’ campaign in 2017. During which they identified key impacts that could be made using reading lists as a mechanism for initiating the change in curricula, library collections and allowing students to be active participants in that change Decolonise UKC Kent Law School project Decolonise the Curriculum, led by Dr Suhraiya Jivraj (Senior Lecturer) and Sheree Palmer (Student Success Project Officer). It launched in October 2018, and is encouraging students to be a stakeholders in their own education, and shape the choice of texts they study. Students are undertaking research, with academic support, on diversity in Law, engaging in focus groups and writing up their findings to help inform future changes to the Law curriculum. We included some library focused/reading list questions as part of this work. 3. Previous success in library collobs. OPERA (Opportunity, Productivity, Engagement, Reducing barriers, Achievement) is a University-wide accessibility project supported by advice and guidance from the Joint Information Systems Committee (Jisc). The project sought to implement a range of accessibility initiatives to raise awareness of the potential for inclusive design and assistive technologies to improve access to learning for all. The project primary aim to mainstream accessibility by catalysing a shift in culture from individual adjustments via Inclusive Learning Plans (ILP) towards anticipatory reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice by design as the preferred means to tackle accessibility barriers at source. Reading lists an integral part of this approach.
- #4 Context to quote - An important point here is that they were saying that white students are scared to talk about race, because they think they’ll get it wrong, and black students feel like they ought to know this stuff but how could they if they never get taught it? They go on to say lots more about that but the main thing is that if it’s on the reading list, it’s up for discussion and opens up that conversation.
- #5 ALS a team of 17 library staff of that work closely with our academic schools managing and developing collections for T&L as well as research in liaison with our academic schools. We also support students and staff use of these collections. Library collections reflect institutional culture, so define the ethos and core values at the heart of the University of Kent. A manifestation of the body of knowledge and the whole University. It is important to recognise that Reading Lists shape our library collections, and diverse reading lists will mean students recognise themselves within the collections. In collaboration with KU and SSP ,we developed the idea of a ‘diversity mark’ that could be applied to reading lists to encourage and identify the progress in diversifying our library collections. The process map visualises how the library can work in partnership with academic colleagues to develop diverse collections through reading lists and highlights benefits: The Library works with academics to provide data on the resources they are recommending and give support on selecting more diverse resources that are available to them. 2) This enhances the Academic Process and encourages debate around the importance of diversity and inclusivity in scholarship. Engaging with students to reflect on their reading lists critically and contribute to developing more diverse library collections 3) This activity can leads to curriculum change as this process becomes embedded in resource provision, teaching and curriculum development. The benefits are multiple and in addition to those outlined: improves the overall student experience both for those within groups of protected characteristics and whole student body through exposure to a range of persepctives aligns with key graduate attributes ; critical reflection/global cultural awareness/intellectual curiosity These activities can be used as evidence for TEF under assessment criteria LE2 &LE3. Department for Education (2017) Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF), [Online] London: DFE Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/658490/Teaching_Excellence_and_Student_Outcomes_Framework_Specification.pdf
- #6 EMR Module convenors in the pilot reported that it sparked classroom discussion and reading list review They were surprised at the results, particularly those who teach e.g. post-colonial theory, or with a feminist perspective But we also shocked the stereotypical white male convenor! Indicates that this research needs to raise awareness before change can result Visualising data – at analysis stage we decided that a visual representation would be a powerful way to share findings Provided a ‘snapshot’ via infographics (used the free version of Piktochart) of the list, used broad indicators to show metrics in an impactful way to academics and begin conversation on the subject of diversifying. Broad coverage - i.e. accessibility – format so available regardless of environment location or individual learning need, diverse perspectives considered via measures such as (ethnicity, gender, identity) illustrated via looking at author, content and date range of materials presented – place of publication is something that we are also currently considering in an extended project. Engagement - overall useful feedback comments shared from convenors perspective in that it helped to highlight areas for focus potentially and Encouraging dialogue between students, convenors and professional services staff
- #7 Student voice – direct quotes Additional professional activities that we are developing around library as centre for community and reading for relaxation, understanding and pleasure (book groups pictured LGBTQ+ student led book group). Also more of these collaborative ventures involving more staff and dedicated displays and promotions through the academic cycle. Developing knowledge – intern carried out sme audit work onexisting databases and potentially as a team we would like to investigate other suppliers - As we have a key role with publishers we are looking at our supplier through the perspective DM and talking to them about their catalogue lists and discovering new supplier to support the SM agenda.
- #8 As other schools have expressed an interest in adopting this approach and as part of the project to mainstream, library/ALS have been integral in embedding and supporting in a number of areas: Diversity Mark Award: We have developed with SSP the criteria and process to apply for an award. This is given to schools and individuals that demonstrate a tangible change in the diversity of resources they use in their reading lists as well as a continued commitment to this. Diversity toolkit: ALS/Library have developed a toolkit to support staff and students to diversify their resources Includes a webpage of guidance and resources Set up interactive technologies (padlet) for schools or groups that want to recommend or find subject specific resources Run Reading list retreats for schools that can be attended by staff and students to consider and create new reading lists for a subject or topic. Critical information literacy skills:
- #9 Talis Aspire award “This is a highly innovative use of reading list data, addressing several strategic strands. A multi-layered, coherent, and clearly thought-out strategy that all UK HE institutions should take notice of. This is a truly innovative use of Talis Aspire reading lists and data, and there’s potential for this project to have national impact.” THE Awards – Diversity Mark project contributed to this award along with other library intiatives Best practices: Sharing knowledge and practice with colleagues at various conferences and in ALISS ( Dec 2019) Diversity Mark project referred to be other UK institutions and have shared outcomes with many other academic libraries that have approached us to inform their own work