Auditing a reading list can be a useful way of determining the diversity of the sources that you recommend to students. There is not yet a perfect methodology for doing this, and it can be quite a time-intensive process. However, it is worth doing to get a feel for how diverse the literature you rely on may or may not be.
The following guidance uses the audit method and data collection spreadsheet developed by the Library at Manchester Metropolitan University and made available to empower others to undertake audits of reading lists. It provides a process for identifying and graphically representing the characteristics of a reading list in terms of the ethnicity and gender of authors and the geographic location, publisher type, material type, format, and date of publication of sources.
Please note, there is no standard recommendation for how diverse is "diverse enough", it not realistic or desirable to set quotas, and many topics have legitimate reasons for being more or less diverse than other topics. This exercise is designed purely to help you reflect on the readings for your subject.
Download the Diversity Audit Template spreadsheet shown above, and save a copy to your desired location.
Populate the spreadsheet with the items from your reading list / items that you recommend to students. It may be easiest to find the books on Library Search, as this will indicate author names, title, publisher and geography of publisher in a clear way, which you can copy and paste into the spreadsheet. Some of the columns in the spreadsheet are free text, whilst others contain drop-down menus for you to pick your response from.
By searching online, identify the other details needed, for example gender and ethnicity of each author listed on your spreadsheet. You may need to consult university and publisher websites, and sites such as LinkedIn for biographical details about authors and publishers' geographical information. Some authors may have ambiguous names, so searching their name online alongside 'university' or some keywords from their area of expertise can be helpful. If it's a book, you may find some details about the author within the book itself, for example in the introduction or the blurb.
It should be noted that in many instances you will be making subjective judgments based on limited information. If you are uncertain or uncomfortable making a judgment, or information is unavailable, select “unknown” on the audit spreadsheet dropdown box.
Select the 'Data Visualisation' tab on the spreadsheet. Click on a graph, select 'PivotChart Analyse' ribbon at the top of the page, and click on 'Refresh'. This will populate the graphs with information relating to the ethnicity and gender of authors and the geographic location, publisher type, material type, format, and date of publication of items on your list.
Connect with colleagues to discuss your findings and share anything you perceive to be significant. Reach out to your Academic Service Librarian if you would like to explore ways to delve deeper beyond the recommended readings or purchase new materials to be added to the Library collection.
The following questions may help to guide discussions with colleagues and your students:
As the expert in your module topic, you are probably the best placed to find information about the authors in your field. You are likely to know which corners of the internet to be looking at in order to find the information as quickly as possible.
However, library staff may be able to assist with the task of auditing reading lists in some circumstances, for example if you are reviewing a whole programme at once. Please contact your Academic Service Librarian to discuss this.
