Equity Action Plan

Summary

The Bibliographical Society of Canada is a bilingual (English/French) organization that has as its goal the scholarly study of the history, description, and transmission of texts in all media and formats, with a primary emphasis on Canada. As representatives of bibliography and book history in Canada, the Society already strives to be open and inclusive in a way that welcomes scholars, professionals, and communities to our discipline. This means working to include people from academic communities adjacent to bibliography and book history, engaging with the perspectives of professionals from cultural heritage and publishing, and extending our welcome to communities beyond academia, so that we can learn from others doing bibliographical and book history work.

This Equity Action Plan outlines goals and actions to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in the activities of the Society. These activities primarily include publishing an annual electronic volume of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, two electronic issues of the Bulletin newsletter in the Spring and Fall, monographs through the series with Concordia University Press, hosting an annual conference and AGM for members in the Spring, and distributing awards and fellowships to participate in our annual conference and scholarship activities.

Knowledge constructed as material texts by under-represented groups and for under-represented groups has been underserved in bibliography and book history scholarship. This Equity Action Plan aims to address obstacles that negatively affect the career trajectories and lived experiences of bibliographers and book historians from diverse communities who identify as women; First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples; members of racialized communities; persons with disabilities; members of LGBTQ2S+ communities; and linguistic, religious, and cultural communities.

The Equity Action Plan is intended to address some long-term issues of inequality within our Society, and issues of diversity and inclusion within the practice of bibliography and book history. Issues of inequality have resulted in members of under-represented groups having had fewer opportunities for advancement and support. The scholarship they produce through bibliographical studies and histories of their textual cultures have been overlooked, unpublished or actively discouraged.

This plan is intended to provide transparent documentation of actions that the Society will take to rectify harm done and to achieve defined goals related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the Society and its sphere of influence.

Goals and Actions

The Society recognizes that this initiative must be undertaken with focused efforts toward meaningful change. Creating equity within the Society will only be achieved through committed attention to the needs and ongoing work of marginalized constituencies both within the Society and in parallel institutional and non-institutional spaces.

Equitable Society

Create an inclusive and accessible Society that values diversity and challenges dominant systems of power, including colonization, white supremacy, historical trauma, and patriarchal norms, through scholarship, public engagement, and community practice.

  1. Society and Council Members will champion equity and accessibility by diversifying its own representation through mentorship, encouragement, and sponsorship of newcomers from under-represented groups.
  2. The Council shall review the Society’s goal and objectives, Constitution, and By-Laws to ensure obstacles that negatively affect the career trajectories and lived experiences of bibliographers and book historians from diverse communities are removed.
  3. The Council shall consider and publicly acknowledge the Society’s role in advocating for a more equitable and accessible working society for all bibliographers and book historians through its committees and activities.

Place and Knowledge

Acknowledge, recognize, and understand the historical construction of knowledge in Canada and provide space for under-represented and marginalized textual cultures and material texts to be honoured.

  1. The Program Committee shall review its procedures to ensure its annual call for proposals, program selection and adjudication, and conference activities acknowledge the historical construction of knowledge in Canada and provide space for under-represented and marginalized textual cultures and material texts to be honoured.
  2. The Publications Committee shall review its procedures, the Papers/Cahiers, the Bulletin, and sponsorship of monographs through the series with Concordia University Press to ensure that the Society’s publication outlets broaden its coverage to represent a wider array of scholarship and textual artifacts from diverse authors in English, French, and in other languages, and provide space for under-represented and marginalized textual cultures and material texts to be honoured.

Inclusive and Diverse Membership

Attract, advocate, and retain scholars, professionals, and groups from systematically and historically marginalized communities.

  1. The Communications Committee shall review its procedures to reduce and remove barriers for people with disabilities so that announcements distributed on the Society’s website, social media, and email listservs are inclusive and accessible. 
  2. The Nominating Committee shall review its recruitment procedures for electing Council members, prioritize the recruitment of diverse members to positions on Council, and improve communications to members regarding the role they play in electing diverse members to the Council.
  3. The Society will maintain and evaluate a list of places where calls for applications and proposals, announcements, and other inclusive and accessible communications are shared to ensure wide coverage to varied audiences.

Advocacy and Resources

Create equitable and accessible support structures that address the diverse access needs of the bibliography and book history community.

  1. The Fellowships and Awards committees shall review its procedures to ensure its annual call for proposals, program selection and adjudication processes encourage and support high-quality scholarship from diverse authors working in a variety of fields related to bibliographical and book history research.
  2. The Special Collections Interest Group shall review its procedures and develop initiatives that address the diverse access needs of the bibliography and book history community.
  3. The Society will continue to develop collaborative partnerships with related organizations that represent all time periods, geographic regions, and methodologies in the study of bibliography and book history.

Organizational Accountability

Conduct ongoing, transparent evaluations of this Equity Action Plan with continued opportunities for meaningful engagement and feedback from the bibliography and book history community.

  1. The Council will update the membership and our public by means of our Annual General Members meeting, website announcements, announcements in the bi-annual newsletter the Bulletin, and appropriate listservs when we have made significant progress or completed multiple Equity Action Plan points.
  2. The Council committees will make its procedures publicly accessible, as appropriate, on the Society’s website for transparency with its members and for continued opportunities for meaningful engagement and feedback from the bibliography and book history community.
  3. The Council leadership and committees will devote a section of its reports at Council and to the Annual General Members meeting on Equity Action Plan progress and reflection.

Last revised May 23, 2024