Online Resources
- Anti-Racism Educational Resources The Archives Association of Ontario provides and shares online resources on anti-racism and decolonization for present day archives and its users.
- Indigenous Awareness Canada 100% Indigenous Created and Owned Indigenous Awareness Canada offers Online Indigenous Awareness Training and facilitates in-person workshops. Our mission is to assist you, and all Canadians, to learn about Canada’s Indigenous People and to help non-indigenous Canadians and Indigenous peoples move toward reconciliation.
- Indigenous Canada Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada. You can enroll for free or pay a fee to receive a certificate of completion.
- Indigenous Corporate Inc.: Training This organization provides training to get everyone Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples® in their day-to-day jobs and lives.
- Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines UBC addresses terminology, acknowledgement, and recognition.
- Local Context Local Contexts was founded by Jane Anderson and Kim Christen in 2010. The primary objectives of Local Contexts are to enhance and legitimize locally based decision-making and Indigenous governance frameworks for determining ownership, access, and culturally appropriate conditions for sharing historical, contemporary and future collections of cultural heritage and Indigenous data. Local Contexts is focused on increasing Indigenous involvement in data governance through the integration of Indigenous values into data systems. Local Contexts offers digital strategies for Indigenous communities, cultural institutions and researchers through the TK (Traditional Knowledge) & BC (Biocultural) Labels and Notices. Together they function as a practical mechanism to advance aspirations for Indigenous data sovereignty and Indigenous innovation.
- Making Meaning Symposium This collection contains materials from the Making Meaning Symposium held at the University of Alberta, February 8 & 9, 2018. The conference was for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples interested in Indigenous librarianship, community, and metadata. Through conversation, participants engaged with Indigenous knowledge systems, worldview, and culture, which will aide libraries and librarians to create meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities.
- NIKLA-ANCLA National Indigenous Knowledge & Language Alliance The National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance (NIKLA) mission is to create an association to unify and amplify the voices of Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) to network and nurture a community of practice related to Indigenous knowledge, cultural memory, language, and Indigenous ways of knowing, as they relate to culture memory and heritage.
- OCAP The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) is pleased to offer The Fundamentals of OCAP®, an online training course developed in partnership with Algonquin College Corporate Training. This self-guided course takes learners through seven modules that are designed to introduce the fundamental concepts of OCAP®, information governance, and First Nations data sovereignty.
- Protocols for Native American Archival Materials This resource outlines best professional practices for culturally responsive care and use of Indigenous archival material held by non-tribal organizations.
- Sorting Libraries Out: Decolonizing Classification & Indigenizing Description, SFU Harbour Centre – March 12-14, 2019 "Sorting Libraries Out" is an opportunity for continued conversations for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people around Indigenous information practices and metadata for physical and digital collections.
- Xwi7xwa Library's Indigenous Knowledge Organization X̱wi7x̱wa Library uses a locally developed classification and subject heading system to organize material in the collection
Prominent Indigenous Librarians
Article Suggestions
- Ann M. Doyle, Kimberley Lawson, & Sarah Dupont. (2015). Indigenization of Knowledge Organization at the Xwi7xwa Library. Tu Shu Zi Xun Xue Kan, 13(2), 107–134. https://doi.org/10.6182/jlis.2015.13(2).107 This paper examines the Indigenization of knowledge organization within library and information studies through conceptual analysis and a descriptive case study of an Aboriginal academic library, the Xwi7xwa Library at the University of British Columbia, Canada. We begin by locating the library in place and time, review its historical development in the context of Indigenous education in Canada and describe the evolution of its unique Indigenous classification scheme and related Indigenous subject headings. This place-based analysis leads to a particular articulation of Indigenization and a conceptual framework for Indigenization of knowledge organization at the Xwi7xwa Library, which guide the practice of knowledge organization design and modes of mobilization at this particular Aboriginal library. The conceptual framework rests on two basic assumptions: firstly, that collection development is curatorial in nature and is the seminal step in library knowledge organization, and, secondly, that the Indigenized knowledge organization system is critical to effective Indigenous information and instructional services, programming and research at the Library. The final section presents future possibilities for the Indigenization of knowledge organization through convergences and collaborations with emerging networks of Indigenous scholars and Indigenous communities of knowledge within the context of new technologies.
- Bone, & Lougheed, B. (2018). Library of Congress Subject Headings Related to Indigenous Peoples: Changing LCSH for Use in a Canadian Archival Context. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 56(1), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2017.1382641 The Association for Manitoba Archives has created a database where members can deposit archival descriptions to provide a central search for users. Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) were chosen as the controlled subject vocabulary to use in the descriptions, but changes were made to LCSH to better describe material about or by Indigenous peoples. Examples include: the word "Indian"; geographic place embedded in terms such as "Indians of North America"; changes related to Manitoba peoples specifically; and miscellaneous changes not part of a larger pattern. New terms were also added.
- Bosum, & Dunne, A. (2017). Implementing the Brian Deer Classification Scheme for Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute. Collection Management, 42(3-4), 280–293. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2017.1340858 The library at Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute has a collection of more than 4,000 books, periodicals, and audiovisual materials focused on the culture, history, and language of the Cree Nation. Both Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Classification use non-Indigenous perspectives that result in unwieldy call numbers for our items, while nevertheless losing the specificity of subjects in our collection. We therefore chose to implement the Brian Deer Classification (BDC) scheme. BDC is a nontraditional system developed specifically for Indigenous libraries in which the collections inform the classification plan. Catalogers with specialized knowledge of the community represented in the collection is essential to success.
- Cherry, & Mukunda, K. (2015). A Case Study in Indigenous Classification: Revisiting and Reviving the Brian Deer Scheme. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5-6), 548–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2015.1008717 It is a challenge to classify Indigenous knowledge using conventional library classification systems. An interconnected network of information and ideas needs to be classified in a way that adds structure, but also demonstrates relationships and offers some flexibility. Kahnawake librarian Brian Deer developed a classification system that better reflects an Indigenous worldview and the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Resource Centre recently released a new revision of this system. Implementing this new system was a project that produced a model and tools, as well as inspiration that other institutions can use to move toward more culturally appropriate classification.
- Duarte, & Belarde-Lewis, M. (2015). Imagining: Creating Spaces for Indigenous Ontologies. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5-6), 677–702. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374.2015.1018396 For at least half a century, catalogers have struggled with how to catalog and classify Native American and Indigenous peoples materials in library, archive, and museum collections. Understanding how colonialism works can help those in the field of knowledge organization appreciate the power dynamics embedded in the marginalization of Native American and Indigenous peoples materials through standardization, misnaming, and other practices. The decolonizing methodology of imagining provides one way that knowledge organization practitioners and theorists can acknowledge and discern the possibilities of Indigenous community-based approaches to the development of alternative information structures.
- Edwards, Ashley. (2019). “Unsettling the Future by Uncovering the Past: Decolonizing Academic Libraries and Librarianship.” Partnership 14.1: 1–12. Web. https://doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v14i1.5161 Canada is at an interesting point in its history, where the atrocious assimilation practices that were in place until the mid-1990s are being acknowledged in the hopes for a better relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations/Federation Canadienne des Associations de Bibliotheques (CFLA/FCAB)’s report from its Truth and Reconciliation Committee (n.d.) recognize the significant role of education needed to address changes. Where do academic libraries fit into this? I first discuss the colonial history of libraries, as extensions of education institutions, followed by a look at how library and information science (LIS) curriculum falls short in preparing students for working with Indigenous peoples and Indigenous resources. Finally, I examine how libraries can decolonize their services. Canadian academic library staff cannot continue to be so ill-equipped to serve Indigenous students and faculty.
- Kirkness, & Barnhardt, R. (2016). First Nations and Higher Education: The Four R’s--Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility. The Journal of College and University Student Housing, 42(2), 94–. American Indian/First Nations/Native People have been historically under-represented in the ranks of college and university graduates in Canada and the United States. From an institutional perspective, the problem has been typically defined in terms of low achievement, high attrition, poor retention, weak persistence, etc., thus placing the onus for adjustment on the student. From the perspective of the Indian student, however, the problem is often cast in more human terms, with an emphasis on the need for a higher educational system that "respects" them for who they are, that is "relevant" to their view of the world, that offers "reciprocity" in their relationships with others, and that helps them exercise "responsibility" over their own lives. This paper examines the implications of these differences in perspective and identifies ways in which initiatives within and outside of existing institutions are transforming the landscape of higher education for First Nations/American Indian people in both Canada and the United States.
- Lee, Deborah. (2019). Research and Indigenous Librarianship in Canada. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship, 5, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v5.29922 This thought piece provides helpful information about ethical research practices related to research involving Indigenous peoples so that academic librarians (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) are better informed about the complex issues that exist and arise in such endeavours. Woven throughout the paper are guidance and strategies to avoid causing harm when doing research with Indigenous peoples and communities, such as misrepresenting Indigenous peoples, cultures, and epistemologies. A brief account of the legacy of a long history of unethical research practices conducted by Western researchers who extracted Indigenous knowledge speaks to why Indigenous peoples do not trust academic research projects. Researchers need to question their own motives when they consider conducting research with Indigenous peoples and to respect that we want to be involved in our own solutions and in research that utilizes Indigenous values, with the goal that “nothing [is done] about us without us.” Key to building relationships and finding success in the research undertaken are an in-depth understanding of Indigenous protocols, values, and ways of knowing, as well as evidence of the researcher making a long-term commitment to the research and the community. Further, such an understanding provides an access point for librarians to contribute to the decolonization of library services while supporting Indigenous researchers.
- Littletree, & Metoyer, C. A. (2015). Knowledge Organization from an Indigenous Perspective: The Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology Project. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5-6), 640–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639374 Native Americans create, preserve, and organize knowledge within the context of community, thereby ensuring the inclusion of Native American philosophies. Historically, mainstream cataloging and classification systems have not adequately represented this knowledge. The Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology was designed to incorporate an Indigenous perspective into mainstream controlled vocabularies. Using story as pedagogy, this article examines the conceptual foundations, theoretical framework, and application of the Thesaurus to a museum setting.
- Lougheed, Moran, R., & Callison, C. (2015). Reconciliation through Description: Using Metadata to Realize the Vision of the National Research Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 53(5-6), 596–614. https://doi.org/10. This article will discuss the history and context surrounding the document collection and statement gathering mandates of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the challenges the newly established National Research Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will face in applying the Commission's metadata set in the realization of its vision. By working respectfully with Indigenous people through the implementation of Indigenous knowledge best practices and the application of contrasting traditional/non-traditional, archival/user-generated, and institutional/Indigenous descriptive elements, the Centre will attempt to create a "living archive" and facilitate Indigenous participation, collaboration, and ultimately, the process of reconciliation.
- Nakata. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and the Cultural Interface: underlying issues at the intersection of knowledge and information systems. IFLA Journal, 28(5-6), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1177/034003520202800513 This article discusses emerging concepts in recent trends across the globe to document and describe Indigenous Knowledge and how they are being integrated generally as well as in formal education processes.
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