Indigenous librarianship

Indigenous librarianship is a distinct field of librarianship that brings Indigenous approaches to areas such as knowledge organization, collection development, library and information services, language and cultural practices, and education.[1] The Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (3rd ed.) states that Indigenous librarianship emerged as a "distinct field of practice and an arena for international scholarship in the late twentieth century bolstered by a global recognition of the value and vulnerability of Indigenous knowledge systems, and of the right of Indigenous peoples to control them."[2]

Indigenous librarianship is supported by a number of professional associations, a growing body of research, and both professional and educational initiatives. Indigenous librarianship can be practised by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous librarians[3] and exists all over the world, including across Aotearoa (New Zealand),[4] Australia,[5] Hawai'i,[4] Sápmi (Northern Europe and Russia),[6] South America,[7] Sudan,[8] Turtle Island (North America),[2] and Udmurtia.[9] To date, the largest centres of activity for Indigenous librarianship are in Aotearoa and in what are now known as Australia, Canada, and the United States.[1]

Indigenous librarianship prioritizes the interests, practices, needs, and support of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous culture and concerns are therefore used to guide and implement library and information practices, as well as to ensure that the practices of Indigenous librarianship advance Indigenous interests, such as sovereignty and self-determination.[1] Frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) are other key mechanisms for ensuring that practice and research are ethical and for centring Indigenous rights. For example, using appropriate and respectful cultural protocols for the handling of Indigenous knowledge, including traditional knowledge, is one way Indigenous librarianship is practised.

Indigenous Librarianship can contrast with or be in conflict with non-Indigenous librarianship practices and research, which are often heavily influenced by colonialism. As Indigenous librarianship is connected to the advancement of Indigenous rights it has been deemed to be one of the more political forms of librarianship.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Burns, Kathleen; Doyle, Anne; Joseph, Gene; Krebs, Allison (2018). McDonald, John D. (ed.). Indigenous Librarianship (Fourth ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-367-57010-1.
  2. ^ a b Burns, Kathleen; Doyle, Ann M.; Joseph, Gene; Krebs, Allison (2014). "Indigenous librarianship". open.library.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  3. ^ Lee, Deborah (2019-05-31). "Research and Indigenous Librarianship in Canada". Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship. 5: 1–22. doi:10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v5.29922. hdl:10388/12191. ISSN 2369-937X. S2CID 191844876.
  4. ^ a b Lilley, Spencer; Paringatai, Te Paea (2014-04-03). "Kia whai taki: Implementing Indigenous Knowledge in the Aotearoa New Zealand Library and Information Management Curriculum". Australian Academic & Research Libraries. 45 (2): 139–146. doi:10.1080/00048623.2014.908498. ISSN 0004-8623.
  5. ^ "Transformative praxis – building spaces for Indigenous self-determination in libraries and archives – In the Library with the Lead Pipe". Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  6. ^ Sequeiros, Paula (2017). "The Sámi Library, North of the North: colonialism, resistance and reading in a public library". eprints.rclis.org. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  7. ^ Civallero, Edgardo (2021-01-25). "Library services and indigenous peoples in Latin America: Reviewing concepts, gathering experiences". IFLA Journal. 47 (3): 321–330. doi:10.1177/0340035220987573. ISSN 0340-0352. S2CID 234070852.
  8. ^ Sharief, Omer Abbas El; Mudawi, Mohamed Salah Eldin; Mohamed, Radia Adam (2021-05-11). "Indigenous knowledge in Sudan: Perceptions among Sudanese librarians". IFLA Journal. 47 (3): 361–374. doi:10.1177/03400352211013839. ISSN 0340-0352. S2CID 236598402.
  9. ^ Gosart, Ulia (2021-02-17). "Indigenous librarianship: Theory, practices, and means of social action". IFLA Journal. 47 (3): 293–304. doi:10.1177/0340035221991861. ISSN 0340-0352. S2CID 233955416.
  10. ^ Gosart, Ulia (2021). "Indigenous librarianship: Theory, practices, and means of social action". IFLA Journal. 47 (3): 293–304. doi:10.1177/0340035221991861. ISSN 0340-0352. S2CID 233955416.