Projects & Initiatives
Libraries staff engage in a variety of ongoing EDI projects and initiatives as we continue to integrate EDI principles and practices into all areas of our work. Here are some examples of those projects, some of which offer models and open content that may be adaptable for application in other organizations.
Creating Sensory Friendly Maps
We designed floor maps for users with sensory sensitivities who are looking for study spaces that fit their needs. These maps highlight spaces in the Hill and Hunt Libraries that have natural or warm lighting, tend to be quiet, or tend to be uncrowded. Check out the project page to learn more about it.
Historical State Timeline: Events in the history of NC State University
Our Special Collections Research Center develops Historical State timelines, some of which focus on underrepresented communities in the university’s history.
Reparative Archival Description
Some historical materials may contain content and/or descriptions that may be harmful to our researchers. Our Special Collections Research Center takes efforts to identify and address harmful language in our archival collections and descriptions. Follow this link to find out more about our Reparative Archival Description efforts.
Better Practices for Remote & Hybrid Working Environment
NC State University Libraries' Collaborative and Remote Work Task Force has provided a document with a list of practices to provide more inclusive meeting behaviors for the workplace in order to meet the needs of an increasingly hybrid environment.
Better Practices for Remote & Hybrid Working Environment: Final Reports (Google doc)
Interfaith Calendar
Many religious holidays and dates are celebrated among our diverse community outside of those included in the “Holidays in the United States” default calendar. The Libraries EDI Committee has pulled a list of these dates with recommended academic and food accommodations, adapted from the University of Missouri’s Division of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity. We have added these dates to the “LIB Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Events” calendar, which is available to all staff, as well as the general public. Clicking on each entry will provide more details about the event, including general practice and recommended accommodations. We hope the list embraces broader inclusion for those who celebrate, while also serving as an educational resource to provide useful information when scheduling meetings and planning academic events for our patrons.
If you are interested in the calendar, you can:
- View the calendar in your browser
- Download .ics file to add the calendar to your iCal, Google Calendar, and other calendar apps
Exhibition Language Guidelines
Libraries’ exhibitions should be equitable, diverse, and inclusive, and the writing in them should reflect and contribute to this. Authors inevitably have biases and may have blind spots when writing about topics culturally different from their own backgrounds and identities. Authors also may find it difficult to balance their attention to sensitivity with the consistency, concision, and clarity that exhibit writing requires. Additionally, because exhibit writing is read by a diverse audience, different audience members will bring different sensitivities to that aspect of the exhibit experience. Building upon and compiling material from efforts in conscious editing and ethical description, this document, developed in close collaboration with our exhibits colleagues at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, is intended to provide a guideline for writing with sensitivity and topical specificity about gender identity and sexual orientation; disability; social class and socioeconomic status; race, ethnicity, and nationality; age; and religion and spirituality. This document also connects writers with some definitive, current resources for each of these topical areas.