Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) describes the efforts of an institution to become a welcoming and inclusive environment for people of less privileged identities.
On these pages you will find a number of curated library resources intended to foster a more open, inclusive society.
Each term under the DEI umbrella has its own unique nuances and must be understood independently.
Diversity: No one person can be "diverse" on their own; instead, diversity is achieved by building an environment where all kinds of people can thrive and flourish. In other words, diversity is the goal.
Equity: If diversity if the goal, equity is how this goal is achieved. This means providing support for each person's unique needs so that everyone is able to reach their full potential. In the context of a library, for example, this may range from removing shelving that is too high for patrons to reach to revising hiring policies to encourage a wider pool of applicants.
Inclusion: A willingness to provide the necessary supports at the institutional level and to create policies and practices within the institution that remove barriers to equity.
Ability: the quality or state of being able. Source
Ableism: discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. Source
Ageism: prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly. Source
Disability: a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. Source
"Isms": A way of describing any attitude, action or institutional structure that oppresses a person or group because of their target group. For example, race (racism), gender (sexism), economic status (classism), older age (ageism), religion (e.g., anti-Semitism), sexual orientation (heterosexism), language/immigrant status (xenophobism), etc. Source. More "isms" on Wikipedia.
Nativism: a policy of favoring native inhabitants as opposed to immigrants. Source
Tokenism: Performative presence without meaningful participation. For example, a superficial invitation for the participation of members of a certain socially oppressed group, who are expected to speak for the whole group without giving this person a real opportunity to speak for her/himself. Source
