Library and Information Week 2025
This week, the Library is celebrating Mind Matters Week. But, did you know that Mind Matters Week also falls on the same week as Library and Information Week 2025? No? Well, let’s dive into this crossover.
What is Library and Information Week?
Library and Information Week highlights how libraries help dismantle barriers to literacy and inclusion through research, initiatives like Freedom to Read, and sector-wide efforts in areas such as adult literacy, digital access, and multicultural engagement.
Why is Library and Information Week important?
This year’s theme for Library and Information Week is ‘To Read or Not to Read: Literacy Matters,’ but what does this mean? Why is it important? And why does it impact everyone?
Being at university, having an interest in learning (and all its diverse forms) or even being an engaged digital citizen, you need resources: physical books, ebooks, audio media, databases, video, news, social media, software programs. You also need the mediums to access these: phones, computers, Wi-Fi, Internet, TV and more.
However, what if there are barriers that mean you cannot access these things? For example, internet access, cost, publisher or creator restrictions, language barriers, geographical barriers, and technological literacy challenges. This can also be spaces that are not designed for everyone to enjoy in a way that is welcoming, accessible, meaningful, or safe for them.
The question of ‘to read or not to read’ becomes a bit more complex (and lifelong).
What is your Library doing to support accessibility, information and access equity?
Your Library, and your librarians, are working with all areas of Deakin (including building planners, information experts, academics) and beyond (publishers, other universities and libraries, government, and community), to create safer and more open spaces for everyone to study and continue their learning journey.
Equity initiatives at Deakin Library
Open Education Resources (OER)
Open Education Resources (or OER) are educational materials that are free to use, are under an open sharing license or are free from copyright restrictions. These are completely free of charge and can be printed, annotated, shared, kept, and transformed into different formats. They can be used in a way that makes the most sense for each person.
OER cover a huge and diverse array of topics (and are not just books!). Some fantastic Deakin-produced examples include:
- Communication and Teamwork to Support Neurodiversity – an OER designed to support neurodiverse individuals in developing professional communication and teamwork skills.
- Building Futures: Construction Career Collection – a series of short video interviews that explore construction careers.
- Business Finance – an OER which directly replaced a paid textbook for MAF203, saving students approximately $155 each. Based on enrollment between 2022-2024, saved students a total potential cost of $154,000.
- Workplace Role Play Scenarios – a series of role-play scenarios which can be used to test different workplace situations, including difficult conversations, salary negotiation and mediation.
- Historical thinking for senior secondary students: A collection of teaching and learning activities 2022 – a renewable assessment project which published the works of 43 student authors, which, thanks to being open and free, can be used by other students and even teachers in practice and professional settings.
You can explore OER for your specific discipline area (including more Deakin-produced OER) via the discipline-specific OER webpage.
Safe, Accessible and Welcoming Spaces
Beyond resources, your Library provides study spaces, bookable rooms, computer access, reset rooms, Student TechAssist, wi-fi and safe, welcoming spaces for all. With ways of learning constantly evolving, your Library is evolving too, providing greater access and opportunity for everyone.
Resources and Experiences
Your Library is your portal to all manner of technology, print and electronic resources, databases, learning spaces, and so much more! Our cross-campus spaces also host some fantastic exhibitions and events, showcasing the incredible achievements, artwork, talks and knowledge across the University, both past and present.
Deakin Library and Library and Information Week
Your Library, and libraries more broadly, are a wealth of knowledge. They can help unlock programs, foster different literacies, and enable greater access for all. This Mind Matters and Library and Information Week, pop in to visit your Library (physically or virtually). Remember, just like learning does not stop when you graduate, you can continue to engage with us and your local library to continue your lifelong learning journey.