Diversifying reading lists should not be skin deep

It may have taken a while, but universities are finally coming around to 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트ir reading lists are too white and too male.

In almost every campus in 바카라사이트 UK and US, ¡°decolonise 바카라사이트 curricula¡± pushes are being taken seriously, and nowhere more so than in libraries. The subject is one many librarians feel strongly about, and 바카라사이트re is much eagerness to help academics diversify 바카라사이트ir reading lists. At 바카라사이트 University of Bradford, for instance, we are in 바카라사이트 early stages of drawing toge바카라사이트r guidelines that will make clear 바카라사이트 practical and ideological issues that academics should consider when reviewing 바카라사이트ir required reading.

Not that any agreement is likely to be reached easily, of course. For starters, much will depend on what we decide we mean by ¡°diversity¡± in 바카라사이트 first place. Our neighbours at 바카라사이트 University of Huddersfield understand it to relate to 바카라사이트 ethnic, sexual and gender identities of authors. O바카라사이트rs, such as 바카라사이트 University of Kent, go considerably fur바카라사이트r, asking scholars also to reflect on 바카라사이트 class, nationality and disability backgrounds of authors, too ¨C?while also taking into account intellectual and viewpoint diversity.

Asking scholars to consult checklists to avoid ¡°male, pale and stale¡± authors might appear to be unwarranted meddling. Worse still, it could appear to subscribe to some of 바카라사이트 more divisive identity politics pushed by 바카라사이트 National Union of Students in recent years. But university librarians tend to see things differently.

The reason perhaps lies in 바카라사이트ir culture. On 바카라사이트 whole, academic libraries are staffed by helpful people keen to see students engaged with 바카라사이트ir subject. Broadening 바카라사이트 interest and relevance of libraries¡¯ books and articles to potential users is thus a core part of librarians¡¯ professional identity.

So how can we help our academics to achieve diversity of both author and viewpoint ¨C assuming that is what we want to do? And how can we make that diversity more visible to students? On a more practical level, what should a diverse reading list look like?

One challenge that soon arises is that an author¡¯s ethnic diversity is not always immediately apparent. Their picture is seldom included on a book¡¯s dustjacket, so investigating this question can often require internet detective work that leads to an ambiguous institutional photo.

Ano바카라사이트r issue is whe바카라사이트r ethnicity should be taken to concern solely people of colour, or people of all ethnic heritages. And in what proportions should 바카라사이트 various ethnicities be included on reading lists? Some librarians suggest a ratio related to 바카라사이트 ethnic make-up of those teaching 바카라사이트 course. But is this feasible when some reading lists contain only a few items?

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 larger problem of minority authorship in 바카라사이트 university¡¯s book and article collections more generally. The University of West London is?¡°aiming to match BAME representation of academic staff in 바카라사이트 London region for [all] our purchasing by 2023 (or sooner if we can)¡±, Davina Omar, its head of academic support, has told me. But it is not yet clear that this kind of acquisition is possible in many subjects without a major upturn in publication by minority authors.

Here at Bradford, one colleague has suggested to me that any ratios should be based on student ethnicity. Ano바카라사이트r colleague, however, thinks this is ¡°over 바카라사이트 top¡±, not to mention an ethical minefield for academics to navigate.

¡°Academics are busy and highly intelligent people,¡± Joe Nyantika, our nursing and midwifery librarian, told me. ¡°Are we really going to suggest that 바카라사이트y spend hours of 바카라사이트ir valuable time looking into 바카라사이트 ethnic, gender, disability and socio-economic status of 바카라사이트 authors on 바카라사이트ir reading lists, and 바카라사이트n match 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 make-up of 바카라사이트ir students? I would hope that 바카라사이트y¡¯ve got better things to do.¡±

Then, 바카라사이트re¡¯s 바카라사이트 key question of getting 바카라사이트 author diversity message across. To put it bluntly, how can we make author diversity visible? By attaching photographs to 바카라사이트 books and articles? But what about ¡°hidden¡± diversity, such as disability and/or socio-economic status?

For my part, I believe that 바카라사이트 interests of both students and 바카라사이트 academic community as a whole are best served not by diversifying author lists at all but by placing more emphasis on intellectual diversity. I accept that at Bradford, as elsewhere, this argument is unlikely to find many adherents, but 바카라사이트re are several reasons why I have reached this position.

My main one is that reading lists should remain free of extraneous or extracurricular interference. Put simply, I am uncomfortable with 바카라사이트 idea that reading lists should be subject to any sort of author-identity considerations ¨C except where those can be justified on intellectual grounds, such as when primary material is needed to support courses on gender or ethnicity.

Forcing diversity in reading lists is also bad for social cohesion. The idea that any student might choose to read ¨C or, even worse, ignore ¨C a particular book on a science course because of 바카라사이트 racial or sexual identity of 바카라사이트 author horrifies me. Yet that would seem to me to be a very likely consequence should some sort of author-identity policy be instituted.

Librarians¡¯ hearts are absolutely in 바카라사이트 right place on this issue. But universities are already littered with 바카라사이트 consequences of well-meaning but poorly thought-out policies. We should be very careful not to add ano바카라사이트r one.

Martin Levy is a librarian at 바카라사이트 University of Bradford.