Monash University acknowledges that its Australian campuses are located on the unceded lands of the people of the Kulin Nations, and pays its respects to Elders past and present.
As a University committed to fostering a society that recognises, respects and includes Indigenous peoples, we acknowledge that our collections across all campuses contain Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). We are committed to respecting the rights of Indigenous knowledge holders and working with them to respectfully manage collections.
Our collections principles
The Library collections support teaching, learning and research at Monash University. In line with Impact 2030, they contribute to the University’s strategic goals of excellence, international, enterprising and inclusive.
Excellence
Monash is committed to delivering excellent educational experiences and research outcomes. The Library collections help Monash users access the information they need to achieve these goals. We select and manage high-quality and relevant resources to build a collection that supports the needs of our users.
International
As an international University, we aim for our collections to reflect the wide range of subjects we teach and the diverse areas of research across Monash. The Library prioritises electronic material where possible so users can access resources when and where they need them.
Enterprising
As the scholarly publishing environment continues to change, we work with colleagues in Australia and overseas to build a collection that responds to user needs. We use new agreements and technologies to do this, including support for Diamond Open Access models. We are members of the Council of Australasian University Librarians and Open Access Australasia, along with other groups where we support open scholarship and work to improve equitable access to knowledge for all.
Inclusive
We aim to include a wide range of voices and perspectives in our collections. We work with many vendors to acquire resources that reflect our diverse community, including those from underrepresented groups. The Library’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is outlined in our EDI Action Plan.
To help describe items in our collections in a respectful and accurate way, we use guides such as the First Nations collection description and Homosaurus. These resources are created by the communities they represent.
We acknowledge that items in our collections express many views, including historical views that may differ from those of our contemporary users. We select these items to support teaching, learning and research. We also work with our stakeholders to ensure items are described, accessed and used appropriately.
These principles apply to all Monash University Library collections across all campuses, including physical, online, archival, open, purchased and licensed resources.
Our metadata
We aim to carefully describe and classify all Library resources. We are intentional and deliberate in our approach to foster metadata that is inclusive, accurate and clear. We recognise that some traditional library practices can reinforce prejudice and disadvantage users. These include the use of language, categories and methods of organisation.
We are actively working to change this through professional development and careful thought. We have a principles-based approach that is consistent and comprehensive. The aim is for our metadata to be both inclusive and functional.
Our collections support teaching, learning and research, and contribute to Monash's strategic goals. They are strong and diverse. Good metadata helps people to easily find and use our collections. This happens through Library Search and Monash Collections. It also happens through external platforms such as Trove, WorldCat, JSTOR, and HathiTrust.
Our metadata is robust and delivered to established industry standards and requirements. These include:
