Cultural & International

ABSTRACT
Decolonizing African collections in libraries is essential to correct historical injustices, remove Western
biases, and, in some cases, harmful representations of African history and culture. It involves actively
diversifying collections, prioritizing authentic African voices, revising cataloging systems to remove
colonial biases, and integrating indigenous knowledge systems. Production, distribution, and
ownership of African intellectual capital are controlled by the Global North, which dictates what is
published, who can afford to purchase it and how research impact is measured. These experiences of
the African continent have been repeated across the Global South. This Virtual Brown Bag presents the
issues involved in decolonizing African collections, explores global collaborations to advance equitable
knowledge ecosystems, and considers models and networks of Diamond Open Access that ensure
that African scholarship is produced and distributed under the principle of global equity.

SPEAKERS
Reggie Raju, Director, Research & Learning Services, University of Cape Town Libraries (South Africa) ~ The
Paradox in Decolonizing African Collections
Andiswa Mfengu, Senior Lecturer and Head, Department of Knowledge and Information
Stewardship, University of Cape Town (South Africa) ~ Decolonising African Collections Through Global
Collaboration and Equity
Deborah LaFond, Associate Librarian, University at Albany Libraries and Jason Schultz, Collections Coordinator; Librarian for African American & Diaspora Studies/History/Islamic Studies, Vanderbilt University Heard Libraries (USA) ~ Advocacy for Decolonial Praxis of African Collections: Diamond Open Access Models and Networks

MODERATOR
Clara M. Chu, Director and Mortenson Distinguished Professor, Mortenson Center for International Library Programs; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library (USA)

PROGRAM HOSTS and CONTACTS
Atoma Batoma, African Studies Librarian; Associate Professor, UIUC Library (USA) batoma@illinois.edu
Adéyínká Àlásadé, Outreach Coordinator, Center for African Studies, UIUC (USA) tdavis5@illinois.edu