CECH Library Anti-Racism LibGuide Audit

Like never before, systemic and institutional racism has become a topic of national conversation. Academic libraries have responded in a variety of ways, including utilizing LibGuides to curate centralized, high-quality resources on anti-racism, diversity, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

When considering a centralized LibGuide, librarians at the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) Library at the University of Cincinnati began to contemplate their own subject-based LibGuides. Why not take an integrated, disciplinary approach to anti-racism resources instead? 

By auditing and editing CECH LibGuides for both anti-racism resources and discipline-specific resources which discuss race and inequality, we are calling users to reflection and action beyond a single course or unit of study.

Audit goals include:

• Promoting anti-racism resources in CECH LibGuides, including resources which:
  • Address systemic or institutional racism
  • Encourage reflection on implicit bias
  • Promote awareness of privilege
• Curating discipline-specific resources that address race and inequality, in both academic and non-academic contexts.

Secondary benefits include:

• Reviewing existing guides and collections
• Connecting with stakeholders
• Creating a model for others

Within the context of our audit, anti-racism resources are defined as: 

1. Resources which promote anti-racism by addressing systemic or institutional racism, encouraging reflection, or promoting awareness of privilege 
2. Discipline specific resources which that address race and inequality  

Resource types may include academic journals and books, databases, multimedia resources, archival collections, websites, and other non-academic materials.