Situating Representations of Indigenous Knowledge in Place & Context: Recommendations for Vendors
Wednesday October 13, 2021
From 2:15pm to 3:00pm
As we undertake the ongoing learning necessary to realize our decolonization commitments, we have drafted a document entitled “Situating Representations of Indigenous Knowledge in Place & Context: Recommendations for Vendors” as a resource for vendors and publishers to consider and apply to their practice as they seek to provide services to us. The recommendations are intended to evolve and be adapted over time. See document here: https://library.viu.ca/ld.php?content_id=36031193
VIU librarians are committed to decolonize VIU Library services, guided by our strategic plan, our pledge to user communities, the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Canadian Federation of Library Association’s Truth and Reconciliation Report and Recommendations and Position Statement on Indigenous Knowledge in Canada’s Copyright Act, and the Ownership, Control, Access & Possession (OCAP®) Principles.
In this context, numerous encounters with marketing representatives, promotional materials, and presentations for commercially licensed content products raised questions and significant concerns about vendors’ accountabilities in relationship to Indigenous peoples and ethics of care in respect for Indigenous communities’ cultural property, in addition to representations of Indigenous peoples and context within metadata and content. We note that many commercial content products marketed to VIU Library are out of step with decolonizing efforts and deemed unacceptable for acquisitions.
As we undertake the ongoing learning necessary to realize our decolonization commitments, we have drafted a document entitled “Situating Representations of Indigenous Knowledge in Place & Context: Recommendations for Vendors” as a resource for vendors and publishers to consider and apply to their practice as they seek to provide services to us. The recommendations are intended to evolve and be adapted over time.
In this session, we will introduce the document, discuss examples of vendor products and materials that cause us concern, as well as our considered process for drafting the recommendations, and our hopes for collective action and change. We look forward to further conversations through which we will continue to learn together.
Speakers
5th Year Bachelor of Education Student
Vancouver Island University
Librarian and Coordinator for Indigenous Initiatives
Vancouver Island University