Visual Diversity Committee

Criteria for prioritizing spaces

• Provides high visibility.
• Prioritizes at least one space in each library, as well as staff areas in Smith and the LSC (library service center).
• Appeals to at least one of the Libraries’ audiences (students, faculty, staff, visitors).
• Responds to complaints or requests received in the student and staff surveys, for example:
  • In the student survey, there was a recommendation to “Increase portraits, artwork, photographs, or other visual representations of people of color to balance the number of portraits of white people in library spaces, including the renovated Lilly Library."
  • In the library staff survey, there was a comment: “I had a recent conversation with a BIPOC library worker who pointed out that changing the pictures on the wall of the Gothic Reading Room wouldn’t improve their daily life of working in the library...”
• Responds to needs specifically expressed by library staff.
• Considers current aesthetics and physical limitations of the space.
• Balances cost, time, and resources needed.

Criteria for Material Selections

The following criteria is based on practical considerations and the information found in surveys conducted in 2021.

• All “display items” should be:
  • work created by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) individuals, or be of BIPOC individuals
  • positive in nature (although there is need for more complex historical images to have conversations about BIPOC history, those images need to be a part of exhibitions where context and conversations can take place.)
  • easy to understand without contextualization (the scope of this project can’t include research, editing, and long contextualization labels-that needs to be saved for exhibition spaces.)
• Space and design must be considered:
  • singular or small projects are appropriate for small areas, but putting singular images in large spaces potentially could have negative visual impact
  • ADA requirements must be considered to make sure the works are visible to all
  • Security and fire safety should be considered
• These projects must be considered somewhat permanent; with the assumption they will remain on the walls for 5-10 years.
• The project should attempt to consider as many diverse populations as possible and have representations of many cultures.