Indigenous Supports

Sheridan library is committed to playing its part in meeting the Calls to Action laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC).

In recent years, the library has placed focus on two recommendations based on the following guidance from the Canadian Federation of Library Associations Truth and Reconciliation Report, which recommends specific actions libraries can take to respond to the TRC Calls to Action:

Decolonize access and classification by addressing the structural biases in existing schemes of knowledge organization and information retrieval arising from colonialism by committing to integrating Indigenous epistemologies into cataloguing praxis and knowledge management.

Decolonize libraries and space by recognizing and supporting Indigenous cultures, languages and knowledges through culturally appropriate space planning, interior design, signage, art installations, territorial acknowledgements of geographic-specific traditional territories and public programming in collaboration with local Indigenous stakeholders.

The implementation of the new Page 1+ library services platform in 2022 allowed the team to re-examine how collections are organized and how information is retrieved. It was evident that several subject headings used to classify information were based on structural biases which arose out of a colonial mindset.

The library technical services team is working to address offensive and discriminatory terminology in subject headings, in consultation with College Libraries Ontario (CLO) and Patricia Buckley (Diversity, Sustainability and Materials Librarian). The library acknowledges that collections are based on colonial structures and Western knowledge organization systems and is working and learning within a global and local library context to ensure greater inclusivity within our systems of knowledge.

Decolonizing study spaces and service delivery requires ongoing learning. Opportunities for professional development on topics such as First Nations’ data governance and information literacy from an Indigenous lens, were undertaken by library staff in the past year.

Patricia regularly updates the team on wise practices that come out of her research on critical librarianship about inequity and diversity as well as the wise practices learned in courses such as Sheridan’s Looking Forward, Looking Back and University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada MOOC.

The library’s membership with NIKLA (National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance) is another resource that provides a better understanding of how libraries can meet TRC recommendations. Sheridan library contributions and feedback on the CLO Maamwi Hub and Decolonization Report Card support ongoing decolonization work

The library recognizes that its relationship with the Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support (CILS) and SPARK is essential to accomplishing TRC recommendations and is focused on continuing collaboration with these colleagues