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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Library’s focus on enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion is part of an ongoing commitment to strengthen relationships with diverse communities. Cultivating a culture of equity and inclusion is made possible by providing accessible and responsive services, teaching, programming, events and spaces.

At the Library, all students, staff, faculty and visitors of MRU are welcome and valued for their diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We seek to be a campus space where everyone can access and share information regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, spirituality, gender identity and/or expression, age, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, or national origin. Acknowledging the historical exclusion of voices, perspectives and knowledge in libraries, we commit to Indigenous reconciliation, diversity, equity, justice and inclusion daily in our work.

Recent Actions

All-Gender Washrooms

In 2023, the Library updated washrooms on Level 1 of the RLLC to provide additional all-gender options. Single stall universal and accessible washrooms are located on each floor of the RLLC.

Catalogue and Subject Headings Review

The historical exclusion of voices, perspectives, and knowledge in libraries have shaped the standards used in bibliographic description, resulting in language use that reflects the terminology and biases of the time in which they were created. The Library regularly reviews and updates harmful language in our catalogue and encourages vendors who supply our records to do the same.

Pathways to ‘Open’

Open Access, Open Data, and Open Educational Resources are all part of a movement to equalize access to education and scholarship by fostering inclusive ways to create and disseminate knowledge. The Library advocates for the sharing and use of open resources across campus, reducing financial barriers and making access to information more accessible.

Indigitization

Indigitization is a collaborative initiative that facilitates a process for Indigenous communities to conserve, digitize and manage knowledge. Digitization kits available through the Archives and Special Collections allow for local digitization of cassette tapes, giving communities the ability to set parameters around access guidelines and the decision to make records public.

Food for Fines

Library users with fines on their account can reduce or eliminate them through food donations collected for the SAMRU student food bank. Users can bring non-perishable food items to the Library Service Desk every Tuesday to reduce overdue fines by $5.00 each week.

Anti-Black Racism Collections Fund

In 2020, the Library established an annual collections fund to acquire library materials that challenge anti-Black racism and oppression. Since 2020, $9125 has been allocated to the fund, and over 200 additional materials have been added to Library collections.

Featured Displays and Collections

The Library has launched and shared new collections with the goal of improving findability and awareness of resources that promote inclusion and anti-racism.

We also share resources and materials in physical and online displays throughout the year to increase findability for the campus community.