Member Login
Home
Join the BA
Why Be A Member?
About Us
FAQs
Join the BA
Membership Subscriptions
Memorandum & Articles
Who can join the BA
BA Advisory Council Members
Bookselling Ireland
Aspiring and New Booksellers
Thinking of Opening a Bookshop?
Introduction to Bookselling Course
Resources for Aspiring and New Booksellers
Starting & Running a Bookshop
Bookshop Search
Member Services
Key Services
Batch and BatchLine
National Book Tokens
Campaigns
Christmas Books
Summer Books
Saving Time and Money
BookBrunch
Bookshop.org
Booktime magazine
BA Music Store
Cotton, Carrier and Paper Bags
Credit and Debit Card Rates
Display Materials
Gift Wrap UK
Insurance
Netgalley
Nielsen BookData
Parcel Rates
SiteWizard Web Design
The Bookseller
Business Support and Resources
BA Learning
BAseline
Booksellers Network
Bookselling Essentials
Bookshop Swaps
Business Support Helpline
Creating Inclusive Bookshops
Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI)
FriddIT - Technical Support for Bookshops
GDPR and Cyber Security Tool Kit
Independent Booksellers Forum
Practical Guides
Retail Directory Search
Retail Trust Wellbeing Services
Resources for Second Hand Booksellers
Social Media for Bookshops
Specialist Booksellers
Unwin Charitable Trust Mentoring Programme
Campaigns
Bookshop Day and Books Are My Bag Readers Awards
Indie Book of the Month
Independent Bookshop Week
Irish Book Week
World Book Day
BA Events
Industry Info
Industry Info
Annual Reports
BA Policy Documents & Statements
Booksellers as Placemakers
Commitment to Professional Behaviour
Creating Inclusive Bookshops
Find Your Local Bookshop
Getting your book stocked in a high street bookshop
Green Bookselling
Industry Reports
Latest News
Useful Links
Events & Awards
BA Events
Dates For Your Diary
London Book Fair
British Book Awards
Parliamentary Book Awards
Embargoed Titles
Embargoed Title Listing
Submit Embargoed Title
Code of Practice
Key Points for Publishers
FAQs
Booksellers & Intermediaries List
Publishers List
Subscribe
Member Shop
Search for:
SEARCH
Booksellers Association announces launch of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group
11/05/2021
The Booksellers Association has today announced the launch of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group as part of its work to improve diversity within bookselling and the wider publishing world.
The Action Group will examine the diversity challenges within bookselling as a career, representation issues around titles, and how booksellers engage with publishers and other groups within the industry. These findings and recommendations will help to set the BA’s agenda for future diversity and inclusion projects, furthering its position as a force for change in the industry.
The BA is inviting members to engage with the Action Group, helping to identify key goals, set agendas for the membership, and assist the BA Executive to create resources and guidance for booksellers on how to boost work being done around diversity.
Meryl Halls, Managing Director of the Booksellers Association, said:
“
We are pleased to announce the creation of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group, as part of our continued commitment to advancing inclusivity within the bookselling community
.
As we know, the pandemic has only increased inequality in our society, and with bookshops reopening, the time feels right for the BA and its members to return to the key areas of equality and inclusion. Bookshops have a role to play in ensuring that children have access to reading, that readers find books that speak to them, and that communities can start flourishing again.
“As we look ahead, we intend to work with our members to move equality and inclusion back up the agenda and to start making inroads into the challenges facing our industry, so we can emerge post-pandemic stronger, more relevant, diverse and representative than ever.”
The creation of the Action Group builds on previous Booksellers Association initiatives such as the publication of the Guide to Creating an Inclusive Bookshop, and the launch of the Diversity & Inclusiveness Grant Project, which gave away close to £50,000 to BA members for diversity and inclusion projects, including BAME writing groups, wheelchair ramps, LGBT youth engagement programmes and more.
The BA is planning to convene the first Action Group virtual meeting in early Summer, once bookshops have fully reopened and are able to begin looking ahead to a post-COVID world. Booksellers interested in joining the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Group should contact Meryl Halls at the BA in the first instance.
Back to Latest News