Emory Libraries on Diversity

Emory Libraries align with the University's statement on diversity which reads as follows:

The Emory community is open to all who have a commitment to the highest ideals of intellectual engagement, critical inquiry, and integrity. We welcome a diversity of gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, and disabilities, as well as racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, religious, national, and international backgrounds, believing that the academic and social energy that results from such diversity is essential to advancing knowledge, addressing society’s most pressing issues, and attending to the full spectrum of human needs in service to the common good.

Restrooms 

At Emory University, individuals may use restrooms that most closely align with their gender identity. For individuals who are not comfortable using multistall single gender restrooms, Emory’s Office of LGBT Life has compiled a list of single-stall or single-occupant restrooms on campus.

Investments in External Open Access Initiatives

Equitable access to information for all humankind is a fundamental goal for libraries, and we at Emory Libraries are proud to showcase our investments in open access initiatives external to our campus. These initiatives help ensure that people from all parts of the globe can access the full text of published scholarly works, leading to faster, more effective responses to worldwide issues such as climate change, pandemics, and more.

Support for the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications 

Emory Libraries has concrete plans and actions under way to demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we do on our campus and in collaborative efforts that extend beyond our university. For example, leadership at Emory Libraries has responded to a call for support from the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (a.k.a. C4DISC). This organization has a goal of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the network of international professional organizations focused on or closely related to scholarly publishing. C4DISC members include the Association of University Presses, CrossRef, the North American Serials Interest Group, the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, the Society for Scholarly Publishing, and the UK Serials Group – all of whom represent suppliers of goods and services to academic libraries. Thus, if we want to provide more diverse collections to our users, we need to support C4DISC and its member organizations. Emory Libraries leadership and staff members are proud to join C4DISC as a Bronze-Level Partner and to adopt its Joint Statement of Principles:

In principle and in practice, collectively, our organizations value and seek diversity and inclusive practices within the scholarly communications ecosystem. Our goal is to promote involvement, innovation, and expanded access to leadership opportunities that maximize engagement across identity groups and professional levels. Identity groups include and are not limited to ability/disability, age, appearance, citizenship status, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, geographic location, military/veteran status, nationality/national origin, political beliefs, pregnancy/parental status, professional career level, race/color, religion/value system, sexual orientation, and socio economic background/social class. 

Collectively we will provide leadership and commit time and resources to accomplish this objective while serving as a model to our members, as well as individuals and organizations engaged in D+I endeavors.

We are committed to: 

• eliminating barriers to participation, extending equitable opportunities across all stakeholders, and ensuring that our practices and policies promote equitable treatment and do not allow, condone, or result in discrimination;
• creating and maintaining an environment that respects diverse traditions, heritages, and experiences;
• promoting diversity in all staff, volunteers, and audiences, including full participation in programs, policy formulation, and decision-making;
• raising awareness about career opportunities in our industries to groups who are currently underrepresented in the workforce;
• supporting our members in achieving diversity and inclusion within their organizations.