The Library Liberating the Collections (LLTC) Group are delighted to announce that we have just published some web pages about our work and the projects and issues we are engaging with in relation to improving the inclusivity and diversity of our collections.

The group formed in July 2020 to bring together and oversee strands of activity in the EDI space specific to our library collections.  Our focus is on assessing where collection development and management over the 200 years of UCL’s history reflect (and in some cases confirm) inherent bias and structural inequalities in the university and in society; and making changes to our processes and decision making to address the impact of this.

Our work aligns to the LCCOS Strategy Accessible Collections theme, specifically the goals around a) improving our local discovery and access systems for a better user experience when engaging with UCL collections and b) continuing to invest in the inclusivity of our physical and digital collections.

We have an action plan which is an agreed strategic set of actions intended to open up the collections, ensuring that works by under-represented authors on race, sexuality, gender and disability are more visible and promoted within UCL and to external communities.

We hope that the website will not only be a way to acknowledge and be transparent about some of the issues we are dealing with but also to celebrate our progress and, most importantly, demonstrate our commitment to this area of work and ensure opportunities for dialogue and engagement.