Diverse Book Awards for Adults

Booth Library prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its collections, as outlined in our Collection Development Policy, our DEI Statement, and in the Library Strategic Plan. In support of this mission, this project identifies and supports the purchase of winners and finalists of specialized literary awards emphasizing DEI. 

These awards recognize works from a variety of publishers, from university presses to small and independent publishers, which may have been overlooked by standard library review sources. While award-winning titles are purchased by subject librarians as part of the regular collection development process, this project is designed to fill gaps in subject coverage with high-quality materials and, in doing so, improve diversity within the library collection. 

Works acquired through this project, which were selected based on their potential usefulness for EIU undergraduates, encompass many literary genres, including scholarly monographs, narrative histories, biographies, poetry, memoirs, and fiction/literature. 

Thanks to the Redden Fund for the Improvement of Undergraduate Instruction and Booth Library's Redden Fund Committee for their support and funding for these purchases during FY22 and FY24.