The critical work of being more inclusive and anti-racist in academic library teaching, collections, and community is even more important in today’s social and political climate. Creating an Inclusive Library: Approaches for Increasing Engagement and Use with Students of Color explores the various methods used by librarians, archivists, and library workers to increase or enhance engagement with and use of library spaces, resources, services, and materials by students of color.
 
Six themed sections provide an opportunity to further engage with issues affecting students of color and to take action to provide more just and equitable teaching and learning environments.

• Welcoming and Sense of Belonging
• Culturally Relevant Practices
• Building Representation and Inclusion
• Collaborations and Co-Creation
• Community Building and Engagement
• Fostering Diverse Student Employees 

The resources, strategies, and approaches in Creating an Inclusive Library can help all library workers engage with this vital work and build a community of support. As the nature of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism work in higher education and academic libraries continues to evolve, it is ever more critical to continue this work, to be allies for those engaged in it, and to share how you are creating more inclusive and anti-racist spaces, materials, and services at your library.
 

Ngoc-Yen Tran is an associate librarian at Seattle University. She holds an MLIS from the University of Washington. Belonging to an immigrant family, the library workers at her undergraduate library provided support and opportunities to engage with the library and scholarly research. Throughout her academic library career, Yen has tried to provide the same type of support that she received to the diverse populations that she has served. Yen’s research focus is on high-impact educational practices (specifically, undergraduate research experiences), scholarly communication, and information literacy. She has published her research and writing in multiple journals and is the co-editor of Supporting Today’s Students in the Library: Strategies for Retaining and Graduating International, First-Generation, and Re-entry Students (ACRL Publishing, 2019) and Embracing Change: Alternatives to Traditional Research Writing Assignments (ACRL Publishing, 2022).
 
Michael J. Aguilar II is a senior assistant librarian at San Jose State University, currently serving as the user engagement and insights librarian, and is a Public Voices fellow with The OpEd Project. Michael is interested in the role design plays in addressing our most pressing social issues, and his current work examines the role of design in the formation of relationships with library resources, services, and spaces. As an undergraduate graduate student, he rarely used his university library due to lack of knowledge of its resources and being intimidated to use its spaces. He engages with these issues for future generations of students through his current work, which includes leading a user experience working group that aims to embed student voices and perspectives into library services. His recent research additionally examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student engagement and perceptions of the library along with its impact on academic performance. He holds graduate degrees in the social sciences and information science from UCLA, with a focus on user experience research and design.
 
Adriana Poo is a senior assistant librarian at San Jose State University (SJSU) and received her master of library and information science degree at SJSU. Adriana was among fifteen individuals who were awarded a full scholarship to attend the SJSU MLIS program. This opportunity was made possible through the Librarians for Tomorrow Grant, which was sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. The primary objective of this program was to foster diversity within the library profession. Adriana has had the privilege of observing the active involvement and being mentored by many Librarians of Color and allies while working at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, a joint library serving the San Jose Public and SJSU communities. As an academic librarian for over ten years, co-coordinator of the Affordable Learning Solutions program, and co-chair of the Anti-Racism Advocacy & Assessment Committee, which was previously the anti-racism assessment working group, she has extensive experience organizing, engaging, and informing employees and students from diverse backgrounds. This includes working with international students, Equal Opportunity Program students, student success centers, student organizations, and students of color to educate them about library services, information literacy, and textbook affordability.