Using a reverse diversity audit approach to evaluate a dermatology collection in an academic health sciences library: A case presentation

Abstract

IntroductionA reverse diversity audit is a newly coined method which involves creating an authoritative list of materials and then checking for the presence of the list items in a collection. The method combines list-checking and diversity audit steps and is intended to assess diversity in a specific topic area. We formalized and applied a reverse diversity audit to examine the diversity of dermatology resources in an academic health sciences library. Case presentationThe reverse diversity audit involved four steps: (1) determining the scope, (2) identifying the authoritative list, (3) checking the existing collection, and (4) identifying the gaps. From these investigations, 55 items were identified as important resources for a diverse dermatology collection. 43 of these items were available through our library system or as open access. The remaining items were marked for purchase. ConclusionsThe reverse diversity audit proved to be an organized and feasible way to assess diversity in our dermatology collection. This type of audit can be adapted for different topics and areas of diversity. We suggest that this approach may be useful for other libraries looking to assess diversity in their collections.