Published: July 8, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland

As part of the national celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the San José State University (SJSU) iSchool hosted a free online symposium on November 3, 2023, titled “Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences”. The symposium began with a welcome and land acknowledgement by Dr. Anthony Chow. Next, Dr. Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca introduced the keynote speakers, featuring Indigenous LIS leaders: Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian; Jennifer Himmelreich, Senior Program Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); and Richard Sneed, 28th Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Halena Kapuni-Reynolds began his presentation by introducing himself and his background, and by describing some of the distinctions and commonalities between Native Hawaiian and Native American history, culture, and politics. He then spoke about Indigenous librarianship and how it differs from conventional librarianship, and elaborated on Burns’ list of key issues in Indigenous librarianship.

“When I think about the work of Indigenous librarians … there’s three things that really come to mind for me … that we work to honor the past and those who came before us, and to do that in ways that are really sensitive. But we also work in the present, and … we’re faced with so many challenges and struggles, but we have to tackle them head on if we want to create the change that we desire. And last but not least … we have to also find the time to dream and to plan for the next seven generations because the work that we do today sets the foundation for those to come.” - Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian

Next, Jennifer Himmelreich started her presentation by sharing her background and upbringing, including the Navajo creation story. She then spoke about her education and how much of it happened outside of the classroom in forms such as traditional learning, internships, and mentorships. She also described the differences between eco-museums and conventional museums.

“I ended up moving home and … I often talk about this as [truly] being … my degree because I went home to learn our processes. … in universities, there was a continual narrative about how … desolate our reservations were … and when I went back home, I found there was so much abundance” - Jennifer Himmelreich, Senior Program Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Next, Chief Richard Sneed began his presentation by asserting the importance of knowing one’s history, including a brief review of the history of Federal Indian policy and how it has directly impacted Native American life today.

“We talk about how we can’t change the past, we can only learn from it… We individually and collectively have the ability to shape the future and … this is where I believe, … libraries and museums play a pivotal role in helping to shape the future.” - Richard Sneed, 28th Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The panel portion of the event then began, with the speakers discussing and answering questions from Tonia and the audience, including topics such as Indigenous librarianship, and associated challenges and achievements.

Some best practices from this symposium:

• Learn your history and the history of the land and people around you
• Know the community around you and work on common interests
• Develop programs to preserve and educate on Native history and culture
• Advocate for Indigenous programs in education
• Acknowledge the abundance in Indigenous communities, not just the trauma
• Build and maintain relationships with Indigenous communities
• Ensure there is a team effort in organizations, and not just one person

Additional resources from this symposium:

• Burns, K., Doyle, A., Joseph, G., & Krebs, A. (2009). Indigenous librarianship. In M. J. Bates & M. N. Maack (Eds.), Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (3rd ed., pp. 2330-2346). Taylor & Francis.
• Gosart, U. (2021). Indigenous librarianship: Theory, practices, and means of social action. IFLA Journal, 47(3), 293-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0340035221991861
• Ka Wai Hāpai: Co-Creating Controlled Vocabularies for Social Justice
• Ak-Chin Indian Community Him Dak Eco-museum
• Native American Fellowship Program at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) 
• Reading Nation Waterfall
• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ New Kituwah Academy Cherokee language immersion program
• ecoEXPLORE at the North Carolina Arboretum
• Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM)

Access the full symposium:

• Watch the video on YouTube
• Read the transcript (DOCX)