Libraries can find themselves struggling to identify and serve the needs of their whole community, ensuring they take into consideration all nine characteristics protected by the UK Equality Act. By addressing protected characteristics and identifying issues that affect staff and patrons – such as mental health, sexuality and gender and socio-economic background – this book provides a selection of ideas to develop a diverse, inclusive and welcoming environment in modern libraries. More importantly, it highlights the positive and sometimes negative impact EDI activities can have, whilst introducing a wide range of new and innovative projects to inspire readers.

Readers will be introduced to the main topics and challenges of diversity and inclusion as well as being provided with up-to-date information on recent case studies to help them gain a wider perspective. Featuring practical examples of actions to make a difference, this book provides step-by-step advice on how libraries and librarians can work to make their spaces and services more inclusive for all and to increase the diversity of library workforces.

Topics covered include:

• policies and actions
• inclusive staff environments
• physical space events and visitors
• decolonising and diversifying collections.

Librarians will be equipped to assess their own library, identify challenges, address issues with confidence and start to make concrete changes to improve diversity and inclusion in their space.

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Exceptionally well written, organized and presented. This is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community and college/university Library Science collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists -- and as in-service training workshop textbook

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This is a useful handbook unpicking the descriptors and acronyms behind EDI, a recently evolved term used to encapsulate work and formal policies around equality, diversity and inclusion (as well as other occasionally included terms like equity, justice, belonging and dignity and similarly used acronyms DEI and D&I).

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the book is positioned to be a useful addition to help libraries establish and develop core principles and service design. It is appropriate for all services across the library sector, suggesting equality and inclusion to be considered holistically rather than a tick box exercise or one time consideration.

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If you’re someone who is keen to dig into ways to make your library more inclusive, or are new to the idea, this book is a great starting place. It provides useful, practical and actionable tips to make your library more inclusive and diverse.