Decolonising library collections:contemporary issues, practical steps and examples from London School of Economics

This chapter examines the impact of decolonisation upon collection development, both in theory and practice. It starts with a brief definition of collection development, how this has more recently evolved due to multiple influences and pressures and how it can be affected by bias. After, we reflect upon our analysis of LSE’s collections from a geographical perspective, assessing where our collections derive from. The relationship between collections and reading lists is then observed, particularly in terms of how library collections influence how reading lists are developed and how collections contribute to equity, diversity and inclusion issues. Finally, this chapter recommends some practical collection development steps that academic libraries can take, both individually and collectively, to make their collections more diverse, but also to support wider decolonisation initiatives within their parent institutions.