ABSTRACT
After building interest and expertise in inclusive collections, a group of four library employees at a predominantly White institution formed an ad-hoc Collections Diversity and Inclusion Group (CDIG). The primary goal was to collect and showcase works authored by, or that focus on, voices from populations traditionally marginalized or excluded from academic scholarship. However, the group quickly realized the possibility of being overwhelmed in trying to take on equity and social justice work for an academic library's entire collection. Instead of potentially spending months on planning with little to no action, they looked for deliberate, ways to create change that was long overdue. This chapter discusses how the ad-hoc group: (1) automated ordering for diverse books; (2) integrated equitable and inclusive collecting into their other daily work, such as teaching and outreach; (3) updated policies for specific sub-collections with inclusivity in mind; and (4) advocated for equitable and anti-racist collections in coordination with other offices and initiatives on campus, particularly when both institutional and national events demonstrated the need for a systemic move toward racial justice. The chapter closes with practical strategies and advice for librarians who want to move past planning and start creating equitable and inclusive collections now.
