West Stacks Reading Room

The purpose of this guide is to present resources recommended for the new West Stacks reading room, which focuses on EDIBA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Anti-racism) at the Widener Library.

Please contact hl_ediba@harvard.edu with questions relating to the reading room, EDIBA project, or related resources.

EDIBA Mission Statement

We view equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. The diversity of our networks and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, age, ability, political views, veteran status, and more strengthen the work of EDIBA and overall well-being. We strive to amplify the voices of people of color, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA individuals, and those who are at the intersections of these identities. We prioritize fostering an atmosphere that celebrates diversity, encourages an inclusive culture, develops a strong sense of belonging, and confronts racism for every community member. A commitment to EDIBA is an arduous and ongoing process; part of that effort is a commitment to continual learning and growth. 

OUR COMMITMENT TO ANTIRACISM

Harvard University aims to be the world’s recognized leader in sustainable inclusive excellence by fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive. 

Working in close collaboration with offices across the University, Harvard Library is becoming one of the campus leaders in advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and antiracism. We believe that an inclusive environment that cultivates and promotes understanding, respect, and collaboration across our diverse workforce enables our success. As well, we believe that our work with faculty, students and researchers to explore answers to intellectual questions, enduring and new, and to seek solutions to the world’s most consequential problems, requires that we not only reflect, but also advance our diverse society.

Harvard Library’s core values are the foundation upon which our antiracism agenda is being developed. Our values emphasize that we lead with curiosity, seek collaboration, champion access, aim for the extraordinary, and cultivate and celebrate diversity in our collections and our community to construct a more inclusive and just world. Our focus on antiracism is a commitment to live our values. It is about building not only a better organization, but a better research library – an exemplary antiracist research library. We aspire to be global leaders in expanding world knowledge and intellectual exploration, and that starts on our campus, where we are a center for knowledge supporting our faculty and students in pursuing antiracism through their research, teaching and learning.

Harvard Library's commitment to antiracism is a commitment to addressing other forms of discrimination as well, such as those based on gender, sexuality, religion or ability. Our antiracism work will continue a strong record of diversity initiatives, ranging from expanded collection development and the design of inclusive spaces to a learning journey for staff and a focus on employee recruitment and retention. We are deeply committed to increasing diversity in the profession, through activities such as our longstanding membership in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Alliance.

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"As part of our commitment to antiracism, our Confronting Anti-Black Racism project highlights Harvard research and resources on the history of racism in the United States and its impact on Black communities." 

The members of the EDIBA Intern group, which developed this research guide include the following (in alphabetical order): Matthew Berdon, MarQuis Bullock, Te'Lor Hawkins, Dexter Springfield. 

Special thanks to our colleagues throughout the Harvard Library system for sharing materials related to the topic and university. Additional thanks to the Anti-racism team for support and guidance. 

If you have feedback, suggestions, or questions, please reach out through hl_ediba@harvard.edu