Diversity matters: widen representation in your reading

We have considered retroactively identifying potentially harmful items in the collection, for example, literature that uses out-dated language to refer to certain groups of people. We could then withdraw them if they have been superseded by more recent texts, or add a content warning to them if they are seminal or remain relevant. However, this has been considered not to be a viable route. Whilst our librarians are trained information professionals, they are not subject experts in all Birmingham Newman's courses. It would therefore not be possible for them to complete this task.

Instead, we expect that the regular reviewing of stock will ultimately remove out-dated harmful content that may currently form part of the library collection. .

Reviewing and discarding old library material is an essential part of collection management. Our Academic Service Librarians review each area of stock a least once every five years to remove items that are no longer used or relevant . They consider factors like usage statistics, availability of newer texts, and input from academic staff. To increase accountability and consistency, a record is kept locally of when each area of stock was last reviewed. This process ensures that the literature held by the library remains fluid and relevant.

You can find more information about the withdrawal of stock in our Collection Development policy.

In addition to subject-specific book funds, the library has a general budget for buying non-course related books. We welcome suggestions for non-fiction books, if they would be beneficial for students to access. Suggestions can be made via our Diversity Matters - Suggest a Book form.

We run campaigns asking the Birmingham Newman community to recommend books written by authors from different demographics. We don't want to place the labour of ensuring the library’s collections reflect a diverse range of identities on those who are already marginalised, but we do appreciate help that is willingly given. Due to budget constraints, we might not be able to buy all recommended books, but we will carefully consider all suggestions

The University's Access and Participation Plan sets out expectations around inclusive and compassionate academic design. Library staff are able and want to help academic staff in the following ways:

• We can guide academic staff in carrying out audits on reading lists to assess them for balance of ethnicity, geography, and gender. We cannot tell academic staff if their lists are “diverse enough”, but we can help them to gather as much information as possible for informed decision-making.
• Helping to find literature from diverse sources, especially of non-Western origin. We can use our suppliers’ websites to find relevant books. We can use online tools, such as open access databases, to find articles published around the world. We can also use our professional contacts to find less well-known publishers that may hold work by authors from other countries.
• Reviewing specific areas of the library collection for diversity. If requested, our librarians can complete a thorough review of existing library stock on a particular topic. They can review the collection under various lenses – age of publications, diversity of authors etc.
• Offering workshops for academic staff about how they can review their reading strategies. Whilst we are not experts at the subject content of most courses taught at Birmingham Newman, we can advise staff on approaches they could take to broaden the variety of texts used in modules.

Academic Service Librarians are encouraged to consider diversity when ordering stock. If they buy a lot of material on one topic, they may look for reading lists from other libraries, universities, suppliers, or publishers that support under-represented groups. If the budget allows, we may buy titles from these lists to broaden representation in our collection.

When looking to free up shelf space, we use borrowing statistics to identify titles that could be withdrawn due to low use. However, we know that materials from some backgrounds, like non-Anglocentric ones, may be consulted less but are still valuable. So, we may keep some under-used items if they are still relevant and help diversify our collection.

We do not want to censor voices. When we receive complaints about certain books, we consult with academic staff to ensure the material belongs in the collection. We understand the need to include controversial material for academic purposes. Our goal is to stock literature from diverse voices and limit irrelevant material, not to silence any groups or opinions.

Our Academic Service Librarians have been educated in the ways in which Western publishing practice creates barriers for spreading and promoting knowledge from non-Western countries, or the Global South. They are able to demonstrate and assist students with finding information online that has been made available via non-traditional and non-paywalled publishing routes.