Vocal support for social justice is essential but not enough. Commitment to these central values must come in the form of consistent, concrete actions in our daily work as individuals and through large-scale initiatives across the organization in order to improve our library and the communities it serves, within and beyond the university.
Among other activities, we are giving special attention to:
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An Archives and Special Collections that collaborates on a peer-to-peer basis with social justice organizations in the Greater Boston Area, and that focuses on preserving and presenting the history and culture of groups that are largely underrepresented in university collections;
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Constantly reviewing and expanding our library's resources to reflect authors and creators from the full breadth of our society and world, and to ensure that we have a collection of books and media that can help students and researchers understand and counteract racism;
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Designing information systems that encode and support diversity and inclusion, including through our library platforms and projects that involve technical aspects, such as the Boston Research Center
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Providing a welcoming environment and attracting a diverse staff into what traditionally has not been a very inclusive and diverse field.
We understand that this active stance requires a regular, critical self-assessment and transparency. This statement will be updated with new activities as our library advances toward these goals.