Exploring an Indigenous Nations Library Program

Kevin Brown (2017) The Role of an Indigenous Nations Library Program and the Advancement of Indigenous Knowledge, Collection Management, 42:3-4, 196-207, DOI: 10.1080/01462679.2017.1367342


This article discussed New Mexico University’s “Indigenous Nations Library Program” and the process it took to become successful which included “contextual information literacy, collection development, cultural sensitivity, and inclusive research.” (2017) It begins with a close examination of what “Indigenous Librarianship” looks like and how it is defined by Indigenous scholars. One key definition described it “as the provision of library services by and to patrons who are members of the same Indigenous group, in libraries whose purpose is primarily to acquire, provide, and perpetuate that group’s knowledge in ways it deems appropriate”



One consideration at the forefront of building an Indigenous Library Program or an ideal Indigenous Collection is recognizing the ways that Western values pervade all aspects of librarianship: selection, finding tools, and especially validity. Brown’s article discussed how Western knowledge places a higher value on certain forms of information, such as writing over oral narratives or images. He mentions that the Library of Congress has been altering the way they classify Indigenous works to be more inclusive and respectful to the communities and narratives .Brown points out that “According to Duarte and Belarde-Lewis (2015) the text over oral narrative supremacy is a clear signal that colonialism is still ongoing: ‘What makes Western-text based systems so visible and, therefore, apparently superior to oral, kinesthetic, aesthetic, and communal Indigenous ways of knowing—quipu, ceremonies, dances, songs, oral histories, oratory, stories, hunting and growing practices, healing arts, weaving, painting, pottery, carving, dreaming, and vision work—are the institutions through which Western text-based systems are legitimated.’”



Brown states that “because INLP librarians are Indigenous librarians, they are adept at quickly recognizing the scholarship history from various disciplines, contextualizing information through intellectual politics and its academic legacy upon Indigenous people and communities (Becvar and Srinvisan 2009).”



This article really explored the way this program at the University of New Mexico is an excellent blueprint for serving Indigenous communities in a library. It was fascinating to think about how to translate some of the principles used in the INLP program into building effective and accessible Indigenous Collections in libraries.