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Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

The Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL) encompasses diverse member institutions from across the Greater Philadelphia region. PACSCL acknowledges the inherent biases in our institutions’ collection choices, preservation efforts, promotion, and accessibility. Given our institutions’ privilege in shaping the historical record, we bear the responsibility of ensuring accurate representations of both the present and the past for future generations.

While PACSCL cannot impose conditions on member institutions, the organization actively supports archivists, librarians, and special collections professionals in their efforts to promote equity and inclusion across all aspects of their work. 

PACSCL affirms:

  • The rights and dignity of all community members, including researchers, workers, and those represented in our collections. 
  • That archives are not neutral spaces, recognizing our complicity with white supremacy and racism, patriarchy, heterosexism and transphobia, ableism, colonialism and imperialism, and capitalism. 
  • The need to decolonize both the archives and the workplace in order to provide better representation, access, and opportunity to marginalized groups, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC); members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) communities; and people with disabilities.
  • That representation and diversity, while crucial, do not go far enough. Members of underserved and disenfranchised communities within PACSCL, including those named above, must have power, agency, influence, and safety. 
  • The current lack of diversity and inclusion in cultural institutions is a threat to the historic record, the relevance of our organizations, and the future of our profession. As special collections professionals we strive to cultivate a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in a way that is meaningful, strategic, and sustainable.

For more information about PACSCL’s ongoing equity and inclusion initiatives, please visit https://pacscl.org/

Adopted by the Board of Directors September 2024