Diversity and Inclusion through Area Studies Collections

This presentation proposal was peer-reviewed and accepted. The presentation was held at the Ontario College and University Library Association (OCULA) Spring Conference in Toronto on May 4, 2018.This presentation will discuss area studies collections’ role in academic libraries and how the University of Toronto Libraries has fostered diverse and inclusive collections to support research and uphold intellectual freedom principles. The University of Toronto Libraries’ East-Asian studies collection development practices will be mainly examined. This includes the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, and Asian-Canadian Collections. The talk will also explain the importance of cultural competence, which enables area studies librarians to work effectively in diverse and inclusive collection development, with several examples in the East-Asian studies collection at the University of Toronto. In this talk, challenges and opportunities encountered in building diverse and inclusive area studies collections at the institution will be also discussed