The librarians and staff of the Thomas Tredway Library are committed to upholding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in collaboration with campus and community groups who share these values. As members of the Augustana community, we are guided by the college’s mission, purpose, and goals, as well as by the Five Faith Commitments.
The library seeks to provide an environment that welcomes a plurality of lived experiences and identities, especially those who have historically been underrepresented on Augustana’s campus and in higher education. We believe in promoting intercultural exploration and a sense of belonging. We are working to identify and dismantle cultural, historical, and physical barriers that restrict access to and comfort in our spaces. Hateful and hostile activities that restrict the rights and safety of others have no place here.
As liberal arts educators, we value different ways of knowing. We recognize that, while information has the power to transform minds and lives, it also has the potential to oppress. Libraries both reflect and contribute to systems of oppression; therefore, in an ongoing effort of critical reflection, we strive to learn from the past and remain open to what we do not know in the present in order to challenge those systems as they manifest within our collections, services, and spaces. We are committed to intellectual freedom, which is foundational to upholding the mission of the college and to learning about and acting upon the tenets of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice.
We are working intentionally to put our words into action as they relate to each section (shown in the left-hand column below) of Tredway Library’s strategic plan. We strive to …
| Teaching | … provide thoughtful and responsive instruction to minimize felt barriers and encourage the development of information literacy, social justice awareness, and critical thinking. In doing so, we collaboratively endeavor to serve the unique needs of community members. |
| Service | … support the needs of researchers and learners in our campus community by working to identify and remove barriers to our collections and resources. |
| Outreach | … build and maintain strong relationships through partnerships, programs, and events that enable campus and community members to share our collective experiences and learn from each other. |
| Collections | … select, describe, and maintain vibrant, inclusive materials to support and reflect the wide range of voices, identities, and viewpoints present within the Augustana and broader communities. We further ensure and promote an accessible collection that engages culturally-aware learning, research, and intellectual curiosity. |
| Sustainability | … employ inclusive and equitable recruitment and hiring practices, and retain library faculty, staff, and student workers by providing a workplace that nurtures growth and a sense of belonging. |
| Space | … improve access to our physical and virtual spaces in order to nourish minds through intellectual research and creative endeavors. We cultivate a welcoming and inclusive environment often referred to as “the living room of the campus,” where our community members are valued, are respected, and find a sense of belonging. |
Our efforts are supported by statements on diversity, equity, and inclusion by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Society of American Archivists, and the Oberlin Group of Libraries.
Approved September 2023.
For more information about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility resources, check out our DEIA Resources page.