Choice launches diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, Toward Inclusive Excellence

MIDDLETOWN, CT - Choice is pleased to announce the launch of a new content vertical, Toward Inclusive Excellence, focusing on racial justice, and the appointment of Alexia Hudson-Ward, Associate Director of Research and Learning at MIT Libraries, as its Editor-in-Chief. 

Toward Inclusive Excellence will explore issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion, particularly as they affect the library community. The vertical is anchored by a weekly updated blog (www.choice360.org/toward-inclusive-excellence) and will incorporate podcasts, webinars, and research reports. Contributors and participants will include administrators at every level, faculty, and other members of the library community.

The purpose of this initiative is simple, but powerful: to provide solutions, opinion, and constructive discourse grounded in current research on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, and social justice (DEIA) within the academy and to highlight programmatic initiatives already underway that deserve more coverage.

Choice considers racial justice a cornerstone of its mandate to support academic study and, more broadly, the ends of social justice. Accordingly, this project will develop a pool of knowledge and actionable resources for information professionals, administrators, undergraduates, and faculty seeking to understand racism from new perspectives and promote diversity on their campuses.

Commenting on this new initiative, Hudson-Ward said, “It is such a great time in history to launch Toward Inclusive Excellence, as there is a convergence of intentional and strategic dialogues, research, teaching, learning, and initiatives happening within the DEIA space in the academy now. Entirely by ‘happenstance,’ the blog’s title transforms into a powerful acronym (TIE). TIE is the essence of how we think about the unifying and foundational nature of DEIA in the academy. I look forward to partnering with colleagues representing every functional area within academia to provide rich, thought-provoking, and solutions-centered content that will advance the DEIA discourse in a high-impact fashion.” 

"We're thrilled and grateful to be working with Ms. Hudson-Ward on this project," Bill Mickey, Choice's Editorial Director, added. "The content on this channel, whether it's a contributed blog post, a research report, a webinar presentation, or a podcast interview, will move beyond opinion and advice and provide a roadmap for the academic community to move forward with confidence on concrete DEIA initiatives and policy."

The launch follows a number of other initiatives at Choice focused on DEIA, including the addition of a new feature on ChoiceReviews.org that allows subscribers to filter searches with a racial justice facet and an upcoming series of feature-length reviews of important scholarly titles on racial and social justice. 

Toward Inclusive Excellence begins today, March 24, with a blog post by Hudson-Ward introducing the project. Related media programs begin in May with a webinar entitled “Equitable Staffing Models in the Current and Post-Pandemic Landscape” 

About Choice
As a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Librarians, Choice supports the work and professional development of academic librarians by providing tools and services that help them become more effective advocates for their patrons. Through its over-fifty-year history, it has established itself as an authoritative source for the evaluation of scholarly resources and as the publisher of trusted research in areas of interest to a changing academic library community.

Today, Choice works to bring librarians, scholars, publishers, and the reading public together, facilitating a shared concern for the discovery, management, and preservation of scholarly information. Please visit Choice at www.choice360.org for more information. 

About Alexia Hudson-Ward
Alexia Hudson-Ward is the Associate Director of Research and Learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Libraries. She has served with distinction in various roles, most recently as the Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries for Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she successfully advanced several diversity-related initiatives. Recently appointed to the MIT Press editorial board, she is also an elected member of the board of directors for three organizations: The Center for Research Libraries, LYRASIS (Board Vice-Chair), and The Conversation (U.S. edition). Prior to entering academia, Hudson-Ward was an award-winning journalist, editor, and radio promotions director.