Diversity and Representation in Library Collections Carolyn Carpan Collections Strategies Librarian University of Alberta Libraries

University of Alberta Libraries Member library of ARL 6 subject libraries on main campus, 2 interdisciplinary libraries on satellite campuses 8.7M print volumes; 1.3M ebooks $26M CAD collections budget  Located on Treaty 6 / Métis Territory Member library of ARL 6 subject libraries on main campus, 2 interdisciplinary libraries on satellite campuses 8.7M print volumes; 1.3M ebooks $26M CAD collections budget The University of Alberta is located on Treaty 6 territory, traditional lands of First Nations and Métis people.   The University and the Libraries are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. There is a focus on developing “a thoughtful, respectful, meaningful, and sustainable response to the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada”, which was meant to provide an opportunity for those affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system to share their stories and experiences. The Canadian Government also recently received the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We’ve been contributing to the Libraries’ efforts at meeting the Calls to Action for Truth and Reconciliation.

Diversity and Representation LC Subject Headings How are groups of people classified? Outdated subject headings Metadata librarian colleagues More focus needed First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples Asian Canadians Black Canadians People living in homelessness and poverty We want to find ways to improve diversity and representation in the libraries’ collections, and if possible, to do so through our regular workflows such as approval plans. I looked at Library of Congress Subject Headings: How are groups of people classified? We know there are problems with outdated subject headings: Illegitimacy. Unmarried mothers. Paternity. Legitimation of children. Single mothers. Mendicancy. Vagabondism. Tramps. Homelessness. Show clip of Cher video for “Grypsies, Tramps and Thieves” – Start 24 seconds, End 33 seconds Begging. Poverty. Impoverished people. Homeless people. More focus needed on Black Canadians, people living in homelessness and Poverty, and Asian Canadians, in subject headings and resources in the collection. Do these resources exist? Has scholarly research about these groups been published?!? What has been published?

Diversity and Representation Review of approval plans Are there subjects that need more / better coverage? Interdisciplinary Subject Headings Aboriginal / Native Studies Northern Studies Gender / Sexualities Studies Asian Studies Award Books Scholarly associations Literary awards Genre fiction awards Review of approval plans: Are there subjects that need more / better coverage? My colleague is leading a review of the approval plans. My role is to find ways to improve representation in the collections via the approval plans. I’ve been looking at LC subject headings and the Interdisciplinary Subject Headings in Coutts Oasis. I’m trying to determine if collecting by Interdisciplinary Subject Headings is helpful. Maybe it is redundant? Interdisciplinary Subject Headings Aboriginal / Native Studies Northern Studies Gender / Sexualities Studies Asian Studies If the Interdisciplinary Subject Headings are helpful, is it possible to add new ones to Coutts Oasis? Disability Studies, Poverty Studies Award books Scholarly Associations Literary Awards Genre fiction awards Recommended a list of ~60 awards or organizations that grant awards. These could be used to make sure we collect the best literature in certain subject areas where we don’t need everything – e.g. African American Studies, Native American Studies, etc.

Indigenous Resources Identifying gaps in monograph collections Subject bibliographies - health, women’s writing Identifying publishers U of T List of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Publishers Identifying films for the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Playlist Began with a small project focused on Indigenous representation in the libraries’ collections. Moved to approval plans in 2014. Checked to see if we dropped publishers or authors in this shift. Authors: Between 2014 and 2017, we did not pick up all titles from several important Indigenous authors, including Lee Maracle, because she publishes with several publishers, and we were not set up to receive books from all her publishers on the approval plans. In Fall 2018, we also purchased missing titles for an outreach event focused on promoting Indigenous authors. Publishers: I identified a few publishers not already on the approval plans, but they were either out of business or they were unable to work with ProQuest on our approval plans. Films for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Playlist - Started with titles available on the subscription CanCore platform, then we began purchasing a few films and series for the playlist. We continue to add titles from CanCore - we recently added the titles from RedX Talks. We also purchased streaming versions of films from First Nations Films and McIntyyre Media is hosting them on the First Nations, Metis and Inuit playlist.

Indigenous Representation Curriculum materials for Education: Red Rising Magazine and curriculum units 4 Seasons of Reconciliation Language learning materials Education librarians found curriculum materials including Red Rising Magazine and 4 Seasons of Reconciliation. The Education library recently created a list of Indigenous language learning materials and we recently completed the purchase of individual titles. I’m a member of the The Alberta Library Licensing Service Committee. We recently set up an online space to discuss resources, share information about resources, post lists of title, etc.

Summary Is there representation in scholarly literature? How can we collect materials that reflect diversity and representation in our automated workflows? Are approval plans the best way to ensure diversity and representation in library collections? Is there representation in the scholarly literature? Does other “literature” exist? Has research been done by or about groups not represented in library collections? Has other work been “published”? I spoke to a librarian at a local university who told me a librarian was going to local Indigenous events to collect resources like music CDs, DVDs, self-published materials, etc. How can we collect materials that reflect diversity and representation in our automated workflows? How do we collect information by and about marginalized groups that may not be published by traditional publishers? (e.g. self-published book Violence Against Indigenous People in Canada by Jen Mt. Pleasant, who is from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in southern Ontario) How do we collect information from groups with different ways of keeping and sharing knowledge? E.g.. Oral cultures of Indigenous peoples Are approval plans the best way to ensure diversity and representation in library collections? Maybe not. If not, what else might help these efforts that will also fit into our current day workflows?

Collection Strategies Librarian University of Alberta Libraries Carolyn Carpan Collection Strategies Librarian University of Alberta Libraries ccarpan@ualberta.ca