Racial
Toward Justice
Duke Libraries commits to prioritizing the history of Black people
L
ast April, the Duke their courses are under way. University Libraries Staff will dedicate space to released findings from Black scholarship and develop a study of how Black an orientation for library students experience the security guards to foster libraries. positive relationships. The responses showed “The approach we take that, while the libraries were is that by improving spaces viewed positively, elements and services for firstleft some Black students generation college students feeling like the essential piece or Black students, we are of Duke wasn’t fully theirs. making things better for all Just weeks later, as library staff students,” said Emily Daly, planned next steps from the head of Assessment and study, the police killings of User Experience. Duke University Libraries has embraced the mission of making spaces, such as the Black citizens George Floyd Also, a research project by Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s Gothic Reading Room, more welcoming to all. and Breonna Taylor ignited a Photo courtesy of University Communications. Duke University Archives will nationwide dialogue on racism. investigate how slavery shaped “After that, there was a Duke’s history. University different kind of urgency,” said Associate University Librarian Archivist Valerie Gillispie took the step last fall of updating the Dracine Hodges. heavily-read university history page to include more information Facing national events and findings from the Black student on Duke’s racial history on the libraries’ website. study, Duke University Libraries staff members threw themselves And at the Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, into developing a “Racial Justice Roadmap” for recruitment work continues on an audit of collection descriptions aimed and retention, inclusive library spaces, collections, research and at finding and fixing descriptions with outdated terms or instruction, and reckoning with Duke’s history. In July, the incomplete information. These reparative description projects are libraries’ Racial Justice Strategy Task Force of eight staff members a way to bring forward the Black experiences documented in the released the roadmap. library’s collection. Early roadmap steps, meant to spark community reflection, “There is work that has happened, but we know there is still included a series of virtual staff discussions on race and a 21-day a lot more to do,” Hodges said. “We all know this is a marathon staff challenge featuring readings and activities aimed at better and not a sprint.” understanding how race shapes everyday life. By Stephen Schramm “We wanted to help create a different level of awareness,” said Hodges, Racial Justice Strategy Task Force’s convener. Anti-Racist Roadmap Other activities such as making library spaces inclusive and Duke University Libraries, as part of its guiding principle, “Diversity creating ways to help faculty include more diverse scholarship in Strengthens Us,” laid out the steps to becoming a more inclusive part of campus and the wider community. Learn more: bit.ly/LibrariesRoadmap. working.duke.edu
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