Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access

The Libraries are key in upholding WashU’s commitment to justice and racial equity. Our efforts are multifaceted, and we intentionally strive to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our community. By making space to listen and discuss these issues, we can take action with the goal of continuous improvement, and we look forward to sharing additional details here as related projects and initiatives unfold.

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Campus Resources | Initiatives for Campus Communities

WashU Libraries IDEA Statement

The WashU Libraries are strongly committed to the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). It is not enough to grasp the concepts of IDEA; our goal is to incorporate IDEA and antiracism as an integral part of our practices, policies, and culture. Though we have not fully upheld these values in the past, we are committed to providing the financial and human resources necessary to support:

• Our envisioned environment where all library staff and library researchers feel welcome, safe, included, valued, and respected
• The learning, teaching, and research of our evolving diverse communities

Our Commitment to Incorporating the Values of IDEA into Everything We Do

Advocacy

Collaborate with campus and community organizations to promote the values of IDEA on campus and in the larger community.

Collections & Services

Provide diverse, inclusive, discoverable, and accessible collections, exhibits, and programming that encompass the experiences of those who have been historically marginalized and/or underrepresented.

Identify gaps in our collections and acquire, describe, and promote resources created by underrepresented communities.

Identify and remove barriers to the use of our collections and services.

Promote and continually deepen the resources in our collections that advance understandings of focus on the study of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, social justice, and anti-racism.

Inclusive Organizational Culture

Recruit, hire, develop, advance, and retain a diverse library staff that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

Provide ongoing opportunities for library staff to develop and maintain skills required to serve a diverse community.

Maintain a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all library staff and researchers.

Spaces

Provide a variety of physical and virtual library spaces that are inclusive, welcoming, affirming, and accessible.

Provide spaces that foster collaboration and meet users’ learning, study, and research needs.

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We realize this work is difficult and must be ongoing. We will review and update our commitment to IDEA values annually.

Definitions for diversity, inclusion, and equity are available on the American Library Association Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services Glossary of Terms website at the American Library Association’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services Glossary of Terms.

The American Library Association’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Accessibility page provides a definition of accessibility.

Selected Library Resources

Harmful Language Statement

The WashU Libraries provide access to a wide breadth of physical and digital materials while maintaining accessibility through descriptive records. By working within the evolving practices of national and international standards and organizations, the Libraries strive to develop metadata for materials that are inclusive and respectful of the communities contained within them.

While it is our mission to facilitate the discovery, creation, utilization, preservation, and dissemination of ideas, the Libraries understand that some existing bibliographic descriptions have language that can contain but is not limited to, euphemistic, racist, homophobic, sexist, or ableist views that demean the humanity of the people described.

The Libraries are committed to correcting those records when and where possible. If you encounter offensive or harmful language or have questions about this statement, please contact us through the Reparative Description Request Form.

The Julian Edison Department of Special Collections upholds a Statement on Harmful Language in Archival Descriptions & Cataloging. Please see the Special Collections Research & Access page for further details on Special Collections.

For further details on the Libraries’ work in developing inclusive and respectful metadata, please see the Critical and Reparative Metadata at WashU Research Guide.

Initiatives for Campus Communities