Developing a Collaborative Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Guide: A Library-Department Partnership in the Earth Sciences

Abstract

Earth Science is one of the least diverse scientific fields, but libraries can play a role in assisting their liaison departments’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts by diversifying our collections and supporting research practices that promote their use. In 2020, the University of California, Berkeley’s Earth & Planetary Science Department graduate students created an impressive Call to Action directed toward the faculty of the department. The Call to Action included a plan for advancing the department’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, particularly important in a department with only 17% of students from underserved backgrounds enrolled in the graduate program. Stemming from this effort, the Earth Sciences & Map Library at UC Berkeley, developed a guide (https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/geo_dei) to provide resources to further educate departmental faculty, staff, and students on the topic of DEI. The guide encourages researchers to expand their engagement with scholarship and citation practices intentionally while working on these DEI efforts. Although Earth Science is highlighted in this particular LibGuide, the strategies are universal, especially as applied to science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) fields. The development of this guide, as well as partnerships with active student groups, can serve as a tool for other academic departments creating and promoting DEI efforts.