A diversity audit is a critical step in building truly representative library collections and reveal the extent to which library collections incorporate diverse representation of different topics, perspectives, and authors. It is massively important for students and others within the campus community to see resources written by authors of similar backgrounds or identities to their own because if they do not see this representation, it implies that their voices and experiences are not viewed as valid or credible. Furthermore, having a diverse library collection allows students to encounter thoughts and identities that differ from their own, thus expanding their world view and empathy towards others.
"Collections are representations of what librarians (or faculty) deem to be authoritative knowledge and as we know, this field and educational institutions, historically, and currently, have been sites of whiteness." - Leung, Whiteness as Collections
In a diversity audit, researchers can choose to assess the collection for diverse topics, characters, and/or authors. The Schewe Library chose to audit for diverse authors, focusing on four parts of an author's identity: race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Information on these characteristics is pulled from sources where the author will most likely self-identify as much as available, such as social media, professional websites, personal statements, and author interviews. Occasionally, other sources were included if there was a reasonable likelihood that the author had opportunity to change incorrect information, such as Publishers' author biographies or organizational profiles.
Once the data is collected, the library can see which identities are underrepresented in the collection and make plans to include new books to remedy that gap. Diversity audits are an ongoing process so when one section has been audited, we move onto the next until we have audited the entire library collection. Then we start from the beginning all over again and the process starts anew!
During the spring and summer of 2023, Illinois College student Ava Maria Mendoza did research for Schewe Library. She worked with Elora Agsten and the staff of Schewe Library to complete a diversity audit!
Now it's the spring of 2024 and the diversity audit continues with student Serenity Vasquez and librarian McKenna Jacquemet.
Choosing a new section of the library to audit, Serenity and McKenna are working to further improve the process and explore the different types of authors in the collection, this time with the added characteristic of sexuality in addition to gender, race, and ethnicity.
This is a snippet of what the data spreadsheet looks like:
Serenity will be adding her own diverse author book recommendations to this LibGuide.
Claire Peters worked on the diversity Audit during the summer of 2024. Checkout her thoughts on the process here.