Library Home: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Library Guide: Responsibly Curating Our Collections

Acknowledging Bias and Harmful Content in Our Collections

Our Commitment

The University of Roehampton Library is committed to supporting inclusive, respectful, and informed learning, teaching, and research. Our collections—ranging from digital resources to print materials—aim to reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, disciplines, and histories.

We acknowledge that some items in our collections, both historical and contemporary, may contain outdated, offensive, or harmful language, perspectives, or assumptions. These do not reflect the current values of the University.

Understanding Harmful Content

Materials may include:

Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or Eurocentric views

Outdated terminology or offensive subject headings

Implicit bias or discriminatory ideas not immediately visible in the language

Such content is preserved to help us understand the cultural and academic contexts in which it was produced. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.

Why We Retain These Materials

We do not censor or remove materials based solely on their content. Instead, we:

Encourage critical engagement with complex, difficult texts

Preserve historical and academic records in their original form

Provide tools and context to help users navigate harmful content responsibly

The “Bad Books Box” Project

As part of this critical approach, we maintain Challenging Books Collection—a curated collection of children’s books and educational texts flagged for problematic or offensive content.

This collaborative, ongoing project between the School of Education and the Library and Archive teams uses these materials as a resource for:

Reflecting on censorship, academic freedom, and institutional responsibility

Discussing harmful narratives, representation, and inclusive education

Highlighting the importance of historical and cultural context in pedagogy

Books in the Box are not removed or hidden. They are preserved with care, intention, and guidance, and used in:

Workshops, teacher training, and student research

Curriculum development and inclusive teaching practice

Discussions around ethics, literacy, and educational change

How We're Responding

Through the work of our Library Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Working Group, we are:

Reviewing and updating subject headings in the catalogue to reflect inclusive language

Adding content warnings and contextual notes to records or collections where needed

Describing respectfully, without erasing the complexities of an item’s history

Your Role

We recognise that interpretations of harm can vary. If you encounter material that you find harmful or misrepresented, we invite you to let us know.

Your feedback helps us:

Improve how we present and contextualise our collections

Foster a safer, more inclusive academic environment

Developing Diverse Collections

The Library actively enhances the diversity and inclusion of its collections through multiple approaches:

Book Suggestions: Staff and students can request items that better represent the university community.
Guidance for Academic Staff: Support staff in promoting EDI in Resource Lists to ensure a broader representation of voices and perspectives in module readings.
EDI-focused Acquisitions: Proactive purchasing of eBook collections that align with these values.
Demand-Driven Purchases: A model allowing students and staff full access to an eBook collections for a set period, then purchasing the titles based on demand.
Diverse Learning Resources: Selection of text and non-text-based materials.
Curated Resources: Ongoing curation of online and print collections, including Open Access Resources, and thematic lists to support events and extra curricula themes such as, Black Lives Matter, Women's History Month, Neurodiversity, etc.
Updating Descriptions: Addressing outdated or harmful content in collection descriptions.
Historical Context in Teaching: Some examples of outdated and offensive material, such as colonial era children's books, are kept in closed access in our Special Collections and used in teaching, to show historical context. This is done in a contained and safe environment where the potential harm of such material is handled sensitively.

This ensures the collections remains inclusive, relevant, and reflective of diverse voices.