Peter Barr (University of Sheffield Library) Contained within the University of Sheffield Comprehensive Content Strategy is an expression of ideals on which the Library should operate, notably a commitment to act ethically, sustainably and inclusively in the provision of content. This paper will explore the challenges of turning these ideals into practical action. It will ask what practically can be effected by librarians. Does this situation require a revolution? If not, can significant reform be achieved within existing power structures? Or are these notions fundamentally impossible, and academic libraries should resign themselves to an accommodation with commercialism and look for other values in their partnerships?

1. How do we make library
acquisitions truly ethical?
Peter Barr
(Head of Content & Collections – University of Sheffield Library)
@tweeterbarr

2. Presentation Outline
● Hope
● Disillusionment
● Questioning
● A few suggestions
Acknowledgement:
Narges Kalhorzadeh
(Project Officer – Comprehensive Content Strategy Project)

3. Hope…

4. Disclaimer

5. The University of Sheffield Library Comprehensive
Content Strategy (1)
● Drafted 2020, Ratified & Adopted 2021
● Meaningful, practical, enabling
● Drives change and action
Not just another high-minded (but ultimately meaningless)
University policy document

6. “The Library is opposed to restrictive
practices and the pursuit of high profits
within academic publishing. We will support
initiatives beyond the library that value the
dissemination of knowledge above the
pursuit of commercial profit”

7. The University of Sheffield Library Comprehensive
Content Strategy (2)
● Values over value-for-money in acquisitions
● “Ethical”, “Inclusive”, “Sustainable”
● Transformation of academic publishing
● Onus on publishers
We should begin to disassociate ourselves from publishers
who did not share our ideals

8. Why haven’t I
got anything to
show you?

9. Disillusionment…
events and phenomena

10. Publishers = Bad
Libraries = Good
Disillusion-ometer

11. World Events:
A Global
pandemic
● Systemic weakness
● Contradictory rules
● Isolation and Social Media

12. Work Events:
The UCU
Strikes
● Crisis of Leadership
● Uncaring Institution
● Fractured Solidarity

13. Personal Events:
Becoming a Senior
Manager
● Realities / limits of power
● Compromises
● Institutionalisation

14. The Marketised University in the UK
They claim to be mission driven organisations but…
● Income driven
● Metric Driven & Homogenised
● Hemmed in by government policy
● Colonial, racist, misogynistic legacies (and realities)

15. Publishers = Bad
Universities = Bad
Libraries = Good
Disillusion-ometer

16. Vocational Awe and Radical Librarianship
● ‘Professional ideals’ (beyond the terms of your
employment) can be exploitative
● Vocational Awe can be used as a catch-all critique
● Radicalism (when framed as a moral requirement) has
features of Vocational Awe
An ethical acquisitions policy creates more practical and
emotional labour for library staff

17. Publishers = Bad
Universities = Bad
Libraries = Bad
Librarians = Good
Disillusion-ometer

18. Intersectionality
● Ethical axes cut across each other
● Open Science movement (as currently constituted)
reinforces status quo
● Lack of diversity in librarianship
The feared negative consequences of can lead to crippling
inaction

19. Publishers = Bad
Universities = Bad
Libraries = Bad
Librarians = Bad
Disillusion-ometer

20. Questioning…

21. Is snark a
strategy?

22. Is ‘good
enough’ good
enough?

23. Can there be
peace without
surrender?
(with commercialism)

24. Do we really need
a ‘controlled
vocabulary’?

25. Responsibility for creating ethical acquisitions
● Sector bodies
● Individuals in power
● Market – reactive / proactive?
● Institutions
● Community – formally / informally?
● Radical Individuals
● Researchers, Authors

26. A few suggestions…

27. Partnership with
Publishers

28. Red Tractor
Marks

29. Boycotts and
Cancellations

30. Market
Regulation

31. Independence
from the system

32. Insurgent
Leadership

33. Feed the
alternative
Ecosystem

34. Build the culture

35. Strategies towards ethical acquisitions
● Partnership with publishers (?)
● ‘Red Tractor’ marks
● Boycotts & Cancellations
● Seek personal independence from the system
● Insurgent leadership
● Feed the alternative ecosystem
● Build the culture beyond the library

36. Conclusions
This is a story not a solution
• Accept the complexity and (commercial) reality
• Questioning and recalibrating are an essential part of
the process
• Critical and practical aren’t antithetical

37. Links
Content Strategy: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/library/contentstrategy
Writing the Content Strategy – Talk (4b) at Academic Libraries North:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KJbaBedkSDRT6ruv0D2Qout7iA58oqj4
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HO5BSCo86Qkf18q318pyjJlrqQ5eHb3X/view
Fobazi Ettarh on ‘Vocational Awe’:
https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/
#EbookSOS – Sign the Open Letter: https://academicebookinvestigation.org/

38. Picture Credits
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