As part of ARL’s Research Library Impact Framework initiative, a research team from the Texas Tech University (TTU) Libraries explored methods for assessing collections related to the study and research of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics and their discoverability by users. DEI studies have increased in prominence on academic campuses along with calls to question privilege and power structures, making DEI collections assessment critical. The TTU Libraries undertook a two-part project that surveyed user needs, collections usage, cataloging and discoverability, and user behavior in searching for and evaluating DEI resources. While the researchers were not able to identify an effective method for assessing DEI in large-scale collections, key findings indicate the potential for partnering with women’s and gender studies and Mexican American and Latino/a studies and the need for increased attention on cataloging and metadata, particularly table of contents and abstract/summary fields. The research team identified that many users expressed uncertainty in searching and evaluating DEI resources and expressed interest in search enhancements for better filtering and more prominent website presence for DEI research help.
To cite
Sappington, Jayne, Esther De León, Sara Schumacher, Kimberly Vardeman, Donell Callender, Marina Oliver, Hillary Veeder, and Laura Heinz. Library Impact Research Report: Educating and Empowering a Diverse Student Body: Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research through Library Collections. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, July 28, 2022. https://doi.org/10.29242/report.texastech2022.
