Skip to Main Content

Conducting a Diversity Audit: Demographic Research

A step-by-step guide on how to conduct a diversity audit of one or more library collections. Included are recommendations on what topics to cover, but these may need to be adjusted depending on the collection.

Conduct Demographic Research

The diversity of a collection should reflect the diversity of the local populace.

Before a diversity audit can be conducted, there are a few preparation steps that need to be completed. The first step is to identify the community you are comparing your collection's diversity to. This determination should largely be influenced by the region your library serves first and foremost. The data should also be collected with a rough outline in mind of the identifiers you will be analyzing from your collection(s). For Pima Community College, Pima County is the main region that the college serves, and should be the first option used for comparison. Race and ethnicity demographic data can be found on the U.S. Census Bureau's website. Also used are sexuality and gender demographics found in the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey. Below are a couple of charts used by the initial audit to measure Pima County race and United States sexuality and gender demographics: