EDI Group

The creation of a permanent EDI group reporting directly to the Board reflects its ongoing commitment to driving change. In recent years SCONUL has provided reduced cost training from Advance HE on Leading Change on Race and produced biannual statistics on the ethnic make-up of the workforce; organised the Libraries EDI Coordinating Group and publishing the quarterly UK and Ireland Libraries EDI update. SCONUL has recently launched groups for neurodiverse library leaders and for deputies. In 2019 SCONUL produced a benchmarking report BAME staff experiences of academic and research libraries and the EDI group will commission an update on this report which will allow the sector to reflect on those areas where progress still needs to be made. The SCONUL Board wishes to broaden the scope of its work to support members in delivering appropriate inclusivity strategies and initiatives for a wide range of groups. This work will prioritise specific areas of action in alignment with member feedback. We are committed to an open approach to developing SCONUL’s work in this area and the EDI group will help undertake consultation, define priorities, shape and oversee a programme of work to deliver meaningful change.

Primary objectives of the group are to:

• conduct research to understand member priorities and concerns 

• commission an update to the BAME staff experiences of academic and research libraries.

• consider further collection of biannual statistics on the ethnic make-up of the workforce.
  
  

Group membership: tbc