The UoG working definition of decolonising the curriculum is:
"The proactive and systematic process to acknowledge the impact and effect that western colonialism has on the content, methods and delivery of education, to review bias and finally reconstruct the curricula to actively challenge systemic beliefs and power relations."
See the UoG Equality, Diversity and Inclusion pages for more information
Decolonising libraries may include, but is not limited to:
"Decolonisation is not only about diversifying library collections, reading lists and course curricula (although this is absolutely necessary), and it’s also not only about highlighting how limited and limiting canons of knowledge are (again, this is much needed). It’s about recognising and decrying how the very fabric of our system of education, and of society as a whole, not only values one way above others but also presents this as the way, with other ways disregarded or ignored – excluded."
Alexandra Duncan, Vivienne Eades-Miller and Adam Ramejkis, 'Opening Enquiry Spaces for Creative and Critical Enquiry', in
Narrative Expansions : Interpreting Decolonisation in Academic Libraries, edited by Jess Crilly, and Regina Everitt, Facet Publishing, 2022.
Libraries collect, organise and describe information resources. This includes directly transcribing information from resources and using classification systems and standardised descriptive subject headings. There is a growing recognition that this process can use outdated and harmful categories and language. Read the statement on harmful language and the information below to find out more about what we are doing to respond to this.
Standardised subject headings lists are one of the main tools used by libraries, publishers and information managers to help organise information and make it easier for the end user to find.
Standardising the headings, or using controlled vocabulary, enables library catalogues across the world to work together and blend more seamlessly so that global catalogues can be created, and collections from many different library collections can all be searched in one place - such as WorldCat, Library Hub Discover and JSTOR.
However the way standardised subject headings have been developed historically means that they have carried with them the cultural and political views from certain periods in history and largely from a single world perspective that may ignore or misrepresent many communities and voices.
Libraries (including here at UoG) are trying to help create more inclusive collections for the communities they serve by identifying, removing and replacing outdated and harmful subject headings from catalogues and discovery tools, such as Library Discovery. Librarians are working together to share best practice and use new functionality in library technology to remap these subject headings to more inclusive and representative terms.
The FCH Zine Library was set up following some work with BA Illustration about the power dynamics of the library. We considered the gaps in library provision, the unheard voices and the untold stories. Zines are known to provide voices for marginalised communities and can be made by anyone, including you! Read more about the Zine library including information about recommending or donating zines, learn about the original project in 2022, or drop into FCH to see the zines for yourself.
Decolonisation is about far more than just diversifying our library resources, but the proactive collection of resources presenting multiple narratives and perspectives is still a very necessary part of the process. UoG librarians purchase a wide range of resources so that students can learn about different worldviews and also see themselves represented in the resources we hold. We also encourage book recommendations from all members of the UoG community, to ensure that the collections include perspectives and resources beyond those known to the library team. You can recommend books for library purchase through this form or in discussion with your Academic Liaison Librarian or ACL.
Whose story are you reading?
Watch this space for a design competition and ongoing campaign to encourage critical thinking about the resources in the library. Does a book tell a marginalised story? Does a book contain a limited, outdated or problematic viewpoint? Join the competition to create a bookmark and sticker which can be used to identify resources which fall into these categories.
Talis Engage
Talis Engage is a tool which enables students to engage with resources on their Talis reading lists and discuss them, with a potential for anonymous commenting which can perhaps remove fear of "saying the wrong thing" in conversations about difficult issues.
Bespoke library sessions
Talk to your Academic Liaison Librarian if you would like to arrange a library session delving into some of the issues around libraries, power dynamics and decolonisation.
Decolonising reading lists
Academic staff across the Schools at UoG are working on decolonising their reading lists. Get in touch with your Academic Liaison Librarian if you would like more information about the work that is being done, or if you would like to support other academic staff in this area.
Narrative expansions : interpreting decolonisation in academic libraries
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