A guide to assist with the work of diversifying resources used in teaching. Designed to help academic staff begin assessing the readings they already use to make their curriculum more inclusive.
We intend for this guide to provide a starting place for academics wishing to begin the work of diversifying their reading lists and teaching resources. We hope that the materials in this guide will provide useful readings and points for discussion with colleagues.
You may also find resources in the following guides to be helpful in considering relevant social issues for your students:
Disability Studies | Gender & Sexuality Studies | Race & Decolonial Studies | Widening Participation
You may be interested in consulting the Resource Lists that have been compiled by Library staff on:
The following articles provide an introduction to the idea of decolonising and diversifying reading lists and Library collections, as part of Decolonising the Curriculum, and may provide useful points for consideration when beginning this work:
Auditing a Resource List can be a useful way of determining the diversity of listed sources.
The following step-by-step audit process guidance provides a process for identifying and graphically representing the characteristics of a Resource List in terms of the ethnicity and gender of authors and the geographic location, publisher type, material type, format, and date of publication of sources.
The guidance uses the audit method and data collection spreadsheet developed by the Library at Manchester Metropolitan University and made available to empower others to undertake audits of reading lists.
Audit process
Step 1: Download the Diversity Audit Template using the link above.
Step 2: Login to Resource Lists and search for your list by title, course title, or course code. Go to Reading list options menu (the three horizontal dots on the top right of the list) and select Export>To Excel to download spreadsheet containing all citations on the list.
Step 3: Using the spreadsheet downloaded in step 2, copy and paste the item type, title, and publisher of each item into the corresponding columns of the diversity audit template. Add remaining details (format, importance, publisher type, and geographic place of publication) using information from the spreadsheet and the links & availability and reading importance tags on the Resource List.
Step 4: By searching online, identify the gender and ethnicity of each author listed in the diversity audit template. You may need to consult university and publisher websites and Google Images for biographical details about authors and publisher and place of publication information.
It should be noted that in most instances you will be making subjective judgments based on limited information. If you are uncertain or uncomfortable making a judgment, or information is unavailable, select “unknown” on the audit spreadsheet dropdown box.
Step 5: Add any remaining information to the spreadsheet, then select the Data Visualisation tab, click on a graph, select PivotChart Analyse from the ribbon, and click on Refresh. This will populate the graphs with information relating to the ethnicity and gender of authors and the geographic location, publisher type, material type, format, and date of publication of items on your Resource List.
Please note: If you are interested in finding out about how to find diverse readings by using search techniques, online resources, and publisher lists, explore the Searching for Diverse Literature and Global Research Databases sections of this page.
Finding literature by authors from specific countries
Watch the 5-minute long video below to find out how to use the Web of Science database to locate journal articles on particular topics written by authors from specific countries. This can be useful for academic staff looking to add releavant literature from the Global South to their Resource Lists.
Not sure where to start? Here's some top tips for beginning the process of diversifying your reading list.
Engage with all that's available from the library
Question your reading list
Co-create interventions with students
Content in this section of the guide has been adapted from AEM Toolbox, University of the Arts London, under a Creative Commons Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 Attribution.
Although there has been a lot of talk about the decolonising of the university and curricula, it is important to remember that inclusivity means considering more than just race bias. Have you considered gender, class, or disability when selecting your course materials? Some of the following resources may help you explore these issues further.
The Academic Support Librarian team have created a variety of resources that we think will be of use to students in critically appraising bias in their assigned readings. These resources have been designed to encourage students to consider historical biases which have shaped the way knowledge is disseminated and to feel confident as independent learners by going beyond their reading list.
CRER's Introduction to Anti-Racist Curriculum Development is designed for teachers at secondary schools in Scotland, but many of the resources are valuable for teaching at any level.
CRER is a Scottish strategic anti-racist organisation. Their mission is to protect, enhance and promote the rights of Black/minority ethnic communities across all areas of life in Scotland and to strengthen the social, economic and political capital of Black/minority ethnic communities, especially those at greatest risk of disadvantage. They work with activists, grassroots and third sector organisations, academia, Scottish Government and other public sector organisations to create change. To find out more, visit their website.
We know there is lots of good work taking place around the UK focusing on improving practices across HE and within cultural institutions. Some of the following may provide inspiration on how to begin conversations within your own schools or departments.
A guide from the University of Exeter for Diverse Reading Lists.
A guide from the University of Derby exploring "What is Decolonisation", including information on decolonising your reading lists and decolonising the library collections.
A worksheet from the University of the Arts London's Academic Enhancement Model team: Decolonising Reading Lists (arts.ac.uk)
A webpage from Manchester Metropolitan University Library about their approach to diversifying, decolonising and decanonising the library collections: Diversity audit - Celebrating diversity - Guides at Manchester Metropolitan University (mmu.ac.uk)
Information about the "Liberate our Library" project at Goldsmiths at the University of London, supporting Goldsmiths commitment to "Liberate our Degrees": Liberate our Library | Goldsmiths, University of London
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals Scotland's Anti-racism webpage for suggested resources and support
Decolonise Architecture student-led alternative reading list project at University of Bath
Open education platform Slow Factory for free equity-centred education online courses on topics such as "Systemic Racism & Identity Politics"
Future Learn course - Decolonising Education from Theory to Practice (University of Bristol)
Webpage for the University of the Arts London Decolonising Arts Institute, challenging colonial and imperial legacies in order to drive cultural and institutional change
University of the Arts London guidance on a range of practical teaching approaches, focusing on diversity and social justice: Academic Enhancement Model and Attainment Resources
Museums Galleries Scotland's Empire, Slavery & Scotland's Museums project made recommendations on how Scotland’s involvement in empire, colonialism, and historic slavery can be addressed using museum collections and museum spaces.
We'd love to hear any suggestions you have for this or any of our other EDI focused content. If you know of books, articles, videos or podcasts you think we should add to our guides, let us know! You can contribute to our Padlet here.
If you'd like to speak to us directly about anything mentioned in this toolkit or you'd like to be involved in helping us review or test future resources before they go live, you can find the Academic Support Librarian for your subject area via the links on this page:
Alternatively you can email our team using the following link which will direct your call to our Unidesk mailbox. One of our colleagues from the EDI working group will pick up the call from there and get back to you:
