Using OER to Champion DEI Amid Anti-DEI Legislation
Originally presented at the 2025 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
Abstract
As anti-DEI legislation spreads and the February 2025 “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights deems DEI programs federally unlawful, faculty—particularly contingent instructors—may self-censor DEI discussions out of concern for job security. This lightning talk examines how OER librarians can support faculty in navigating these challenges by leveraging adaptable Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. Attendees will discover how academic libraries can collaborate with faculty and teaching centers to advance DEI work through OER, offering tools for promoting equity and inclusion even when DEI activities face legislative restrictions. Objective 1: Identify the relationship between anti-DEI legislation and contingent faculty self-censorship to understand how these laws might shape instructional decisions in college classrooms Objective 2: Develop strategies for OER librarians to collaborate across campus in order to foster DEI work through OER and open pedagogy Objective 3: Demonstrate how OER and open pedagogy promote DEI values where other DEI efforts are constrained.