Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) in our Collections
Guiding Principles
In order to foster inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in the building and stewarding of the UConn Library’s collections, we:
- Recognize collections as a living ecosystem that encompasses collections content as well as the people, services, infrastructure, and engagement activities that enable the usefulness of that content.
- See collections as reflections of the communities we serve and the systems within which we work. We strive to subvert systems of oppression. We approach collections work iteratively, critically, holistically, and flexibly.
- Envision a paradigm shift toward taking an IDEA-first approach to collections work, rather than treating IDEA as an afterthought.
- Work collaboratively and collectively to advance and concretize IDEA values at UConn and with our global partners through all aspects of collection development, access, and stewardship.
- Engage and empower staff with responsibilities for collections at all levels of the organization to encourage and provide space for them to advance IDEA from wherever they are.
Definitions
We offer the following definitions to create a shared understanding of core concepts in the context of library collections work.
- Inclusion: Creating, sustaining, and making accessible library collections in which individuals or groups can be and feel represented, respected, supported, and valued.
- Diversity: Stewarding collections that reflect the heterogeneity of perspectives, lived experiences, and cultural and social aspects of our communities, and support their information needs.
- Equity: Striving to provide just and fair access to collections for our communities, and to identify and dismantle structural barriers to this access.
- Accessibility: Eliminating barriers and creating conditions to ensure that our communities are able to use our library collections.
- Collections: Content (inclusive of all formats and types) that libraries acquire, steward, and provide access to, along with the services, infrastructure, and partnerships that facilitate use of that content.
The IDEA in Collections Working Group started as a grassroots effort in 2021 by library staff. The group sought to craft a set of guiding principles and pathways for fostering inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in all aspects of the UConn Library’s special and scholarly collections.
UConn Library partners strategically with other organizations at the national, regional, and state levels to help control the cost of scholarly resources, enhance access to critical research and learning materials, and foster information sharing and best practices.
Core Partnerships
Association of Research Libraries (ARL) brings together North America's leading research libraries to serve as a catalyst for collective action to create, share, and sustain global knowledge.
- Boston Library Consortium (BLC) is a resource sharing and strategic collaboration consortium of New England research libraries facilitating access to member libraries’ collections through interlibrary loan, onsite access, and collective purchasing.
- Information Delivery Service Project (IDS) is a national resource sharing cooperative making resource sharing more efficient and cost-effective.
- NorthEast Research Libraries (NERL) is a national buying consortium that negotiates the best possible pricing and terms with publishers on behalf of more than 160 research libraries. UConn Library saves time and money by leveraging NERL’s collective buying power for scholarly resources.
University Partnerships
We partner with a number of other UConn departments to share the cost of scholarly resources.
- Center for Career Development
- Health Sciences Library
- Office of the Vice President for Research
- School of Business
- School of Law Library
Connecticut Partnerships
UConn Library collaborates across the State of Connecticut’s academic community and beyond. Partners include the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities, the Connecticut Library Consortium, and the Council of Connecticut Academic Library Directors.
The Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA) is a statewide repository program hosted at the UConn Library in collaboration with the Connecticut State Library designed to preserve and provide access to digital resources for educational and cultural institutions and state agencies in Connecticut.
Other Partnerships
UConn Library is an active member of many other national education and advocacy organizations:
- Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
- National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
- Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC)
These memberships foster expedited open access, content discovery, and best practices across the information community.
UConn Library is leading the way in reenvisioning our millions of print books and journals as part of a collectively stewarded national collection.
Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust (EAST)
EAST is a national initiative involving approximately 80 academic and research libraries in more than a dozen states from Maine to Florida to facilitate the preservation of the scholarly record. Member libraries commit to retain agreed-upon titles in their local collections for a minimum of 15 years and make those titles available to other EAST members. These libraries retain unique, scarcely held, or frequently used scholarly monographs in support of research and learning. More than 250,000 UConn Library books—and 9.7 million books nationwide—are committed to EAST retention.
Center for Research Libraries (CRL)
CRL is a global consortium of 200+ academic and research libraries. CRL preserves and provides access to a vast collective collection of more than 5 million journals, books, dissertations, and newspapers in various formats. Many of these items are rare or in languages other than English. UConn researchers have free and unlimited access via interlibrary loan to these collections.
HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust is a national digital library that preserves and provides lawful access to more than 17 million digitized books and serials. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HathiTrust provided emergency online access to 50% of the UConn Library’s print book collection.
Article Galaxy Scholar
Article Galaxy Scholar, from Reprints Desk, enables UConn Library faculty and graduate students to request rapid delivery of articles from select journals. This service is available 24/7. The Library is piloting this service starting in December 2021. Learn more about this pilot and the impetus and vision behind it.
Interlibrary Services
We obtain materials for members of the UConn community to support their academic research, learning, and professional growth.
- Interlibrary Loan – request books, chapters, articles, papers, and other resources not held by the UConn Library.
- Request UConn Items – request books and other physical items owned by the UConn Library for pickup at the library location of your choice.
- Scan on Demand – request scanning and PDF delivery of chapters and articles from UConn print items.
Each year the UConn Library’s Interlibrary Services unit provides tens of thousands of items to UConn community members and partner libraries worldwide.
Learn more about what Interlibrary Services can do for you.
Responsive Collection Development
We deliver user-centered, cost-effective access to over 150,000 scholarly ebooks and streaming videos through programs with JSTOR and other providers. Researchers trigger automatic purchases when we reach predetermined usage thresholds, or expert librarians select individual titles for permanent online access, based on demand and relevance to the UConn community. We also regularly monitor interlibrary loan and course reserve requests and purchase electronic versions to offset demand.
Library subject specialists meet long-term research needs by investing $300,000 annually to buy books and other materials for the collections.
All collection development decisions are made accordance with the Library's Collection Development Policy.