Let's start at the beginning.

What is EDI? It stands for equality (or equity), diversity and inclusion. It is not the only acronym in this space but it is the one mostly used in the UK. Hopefully, if you have picked up this book then you are already on your journey to providing a more equal, diverse and inclusive library service where you work. You may want to learn more about EDI, or you might already be a seasoned expert in it, just interested in someone else's take. Both of those are valid places to be.

This book will not give you all the answers. It is important to be clear about this from the outset. No one book, or author, or speaker can tell you how to ‘do EDI’ and anyone who says they can is lying. Instead, as individual librarians we must work to listen to as many voices as we can, to really think about those viewpoints, to put ourselves in someone else's shoes as much as is possible, to synthesise all the information we have. And then to do something about it.

This book is the result of my work doing just that. It is not the end of my journey into learning about equality, equity, inclusion, diversity, justice, but it is a milestone along the way. Hopefully, some of the conversations I’ve had, and some of the work done by other people whose voices are featured in this book, will help you to move on with your journey.