Our Collections: Spotlight on Library Resources Blog Posts

Spotlight On: Library Resources to support Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

The Library is committed to increasing the diversity of our collections, both print and online, to ensure they are accessible to all, and represent and reflect the diverse range of voices within and beyond our university community. To this end we have recently developed a new Library Guide to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, which showcases some of our most relevant collections and displays, with tips on how to find material on these subjects, as well as how to convert these materials into the most accessible format for you. 

In this Spotlight post we showcase two new collections of eBooks that not only increase the range of resources available to you, but also support research, teaching and general knowledge of EDI topics.

The Jessica Kingsley Autism and Neurodiversity Collection (above) contains over 80 eBooks written by experts in the field, which provide help and support for individuals living with neurodiverse conditions, as well as those who care for them. The collection will be an invaluable asset for research and teaching in education, psychology, mental health nursing and related subjects, as well as providing resources for general interest. To give a flavour of the range, titles include: Black, Brilliant and Dyslexic: Neurodivergent Heroes Tell their Stories; Queerly Autistic: the Ultimate Guide for LGBTQIA+ Teens on the Spectrum; and Designing Mind-Friendly Environments: Architecture and Design for Everyone.

IGI Global’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion collection is a database of over 400 peer-reviewed eBooks in subjects ranging from disability to gender and identity, religion, culture and race. The database is American, but contains work by international authors from over thirty countries.  Research handbooks on topics such as Discrimination, Gender Disparity, and Safety Risks in Journalism, or Analyzing IT Opportunities for Inclusive Digital Learning will be highly relevant for researchers at Roehampton, while titles such as Disability and Equity in Higher Education Accessibility and Building Inclusive Leadership Beyond the Gender Binary provide cross-disciplinary coverage of these  important issues.

All of these eBooks will very soon be discoverable via the UR Library Search platform.

As well as these two brand new databases, our existing resources provide plenty of material to support diversity and inclusion in our collections. For example, Proquest One Literature provides access to a vast range of material, including: the Black Writing Collection (African American Poetry, African Writers Series - pictured above, Black Short Fiction and Folklore, Black Women Writers, Caribbean Literature); Irish and Scottish Women Poets of the Romantic Period; and Latin American Women Writers. This is a fantastic resource for your leisure reading, as well as for study and research in literature. 

The WARC marketing database includes a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hub featuring the latest best practice, research, expert guidance and case studies to help marketers implement effective DEI (EDI) strategies, specifically around the representation of diverse audiences, and in their hiring practices. 

And don't forget, the Library provides you with a huge range of material in diverse formats too. See our Sound and Vision guide for access to films, TV, music and more. Most of our eBooks are compatible with accessibility software such as text-to speech, and you can access eBooks and audiobooks for leisure reading (fiction, biographies, hobbies, wellbeing etc) via the Libby app. 

We also support EDI with some of our Featured Collections. These are curated resource lists which guide you to material on a range of topics including disability, neurodiversity, Black history, women's history, LGBTQ+ interest, etc. 

So there is plenty for you to explore in the Library relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. For more information on how we are striving to include EDI principles in all of our collections and services, keep an eye on our new EDI guide, a work in progress which will continue to be updated with EDI-related developments.