Books about diversity, equity, and inclusion can be challenging to find. Even when a book is about diversity or social justice, those exact words may not appear anywhere in the title or the library's record for that book. To make matters worse, terms relating to these topics have different meanings in different contexts. Search tools cannot easily differentiate between the meanings of keywords in order to deliver highly focused results. The sad reality is that most search tools lack a single comprehensive method for finding materials on this topic due to this vocabulary issue. As a result, a combination of multiple search terms and strategies is usually required.
For terms like "diversity" and "inclusion", it can help to use Advanced Search. This allows you to build more complex searches, using keywords in combination with predefined library subject heading tags that capture the specific meaning you are interested in. (Please be aware that library subject headings may use outdated, derogatory, or otherwise not-preferred terminology.) Below are some subject headings that may be useful for finding books related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in engineering:
This list is not comprehensive. The ISU Library's collections in this area are also not comprehensive at this time. If you need help identifying or getting access to materials, please contact a librarian!
These books explore ways in which diversity, equity, and inclusion can contribute to better engineering and design outcomes.
Invisible Women by 
Engineering a Better Future by 
Diversity by Design by These books address challenges, successes, and strategies relating to diversity in a work setting. Not all are directly focused on STEM fields, but they may contain ideas that can be applied in STEM. The easiest way to find books on this topic is to do a subject search for "diversity in the workplace". Below are a few examples of diversity in the workplace books in the library's collection that may be of interest to engineers.
Equity in Science by 
Better Allies by 
Success Through Diversity by These books address challenges, successes, and strategies relating to diversity in the classroom (K-12 and higher education). The easiest way to find books on this topic is to search using terms such as "culturally responsive pedagogy", "inclusive pedagogy", or "inclusive education". Below are some examples of books recently added to the library's collection that address inclusive teaching in STEM education.
Broadening Participation in STEM by 
Making Black Scientists by These books cover a historical perspective of diversity in engineering, most often within a single field or organization. The easiest way to find books on this topic is to search using the organization or area of interest (such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or women in engineering) and add terms like "history", "diversity", or "civil rights". You can also use a specific time period, such as "cold war".
NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement by 
Rise of the Rocket Girls by 
Hidden Figures by 
Crossing Boundaries, Building Bridges by The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
