Equity at stake? Fostering social justice in Pakistani academic libraries

Abstract

Social justice refers to the distribution of fundamental rights, duties, and facilities among members of a community. Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) are basic principles of social justice and considered core values of librarianship. Literature on EDIA in the developing world is scarce, and this study addresses the gap and explores EDIA practices in academic libraries in terms of designing library services, resources, spaces, infrastructure, and facilities. A qualitative research design was chosen and data were collected through interviews with 18 chief librarians. The data analysis approach was thematic using NVivo software. The findings revealed eight major themes demonstrating EDIA-based library practices in Pakistani academic libraries. Overall, it revealed that EDIA practices in university libraries lacked inclusive services, resources, infrastructure, accessibility, and spaces, especially for differently abled library users. The study also identified the necessity for special attention groups to promote EDIA in academic library practices.