Inclusivity by Design: Creating the Best Practices Checklist for One-Shot Library Instruction

Abstract

Academic libraries increasingly serve diverse student populations with varying needs,
backgrounds, and learning preferences. The William H. Hannon Library (WHHL)
at Loyola Marymount University has committed itself to creating “a library where inclusivity
is automatic,”1 embedding diversity, equity, inclusivity, and anti-racism (DEIA)
principles in collections, spaces, operations, and throughout all library work. In response
to this institutional commitment and growing instructional challenges, the library prioritized,
in its 2021–26 Strategic Plan, “Action 1.1.1: Directly integrate DEIA practices into
information literacy instruction to enhance students’ critical information literacy skills.”
In 2022, the Reference & Instruction Department of the library began developing a practical
checklist for incorporating DEIA concepts into library instruction. Rather than organizing
by information literacy outcomes, which created artificial boundaries that fragmented
interconnected concepts, we developed a tiered system. We require “Essential Practices” for
every session, while we recommend “Enhanced Practices” that are