Program Link: https://about.library.ubc.ca/2024/02/27/how-ubc-library-is-addressing-the-growing-demand-for-indigenous-reference-help/
Sponsor: UBC Library
Description: UBC Library is offering Basic Indigenous Reference Training, a new type of workshop recently developed by UBC Library to address the growing demand from all disciplines to learn more about Indigenous topics in coursework and research.
To address the growing demand and expand capacity for Indigenous reference help across the UBC Library system , UBC Library created a working group in March 2023, led by Alex Kuskowski, Learning Services Librarian at the Chapman Learning Commons in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. The group met regularly to discuss ways to provide training to UBC Library librarians and reference staff on ways to approach answering basic Indigenous reference questions. Three live training sessions were offered in the summer, attended by nearly 50 UBC Library employees, for whom this work directly intersected with their job duties.
“In order for UBC Library to deliver on commitments to Truth and Reconciliation and the Indigenous Strategic Plan, there is a need for increased capacity to do this kind of work throughout the system,” says Barbara Sobol, Technology Management Librarian at UBC Okanagan Library. “And that responsibility does not only rest with either Xwi7xwa Library or with our Indigenous colleagues who might be elsewhere within the system. It’s a broad, sweeping responsibility across the system. This reference training was designed to help build capacity for people providing various types of reference services, regardless of subject matter and across different roles.”
As part of their roles, academic librarians and library reference staff become familiar with many different specialized areas of knowledge and develop the skills needed to connect library patrons with the right resources in those areas. With Indigenous reference topics, there was a real hunger for this kind of training, says Claire Malek, Archivist at Rare Books and Special Collections.
“All libraries should be having this kind of conversation and doing this kind of training—this is so important,” says Malek.
Each workshop session included information on how to reference resources, tips for navigating difficult conversations, practice scenarios and breakout room discussions.
Looking ahead, the group aims to continue its work, with new workshops to address the ongoing need for Indigenous reference skills at UBC Library. The first new workshop series is slated to roll out in March for student librarians and UBC iSchool students. For more information about this workshop, contact Ursula Ellis (ursula.ellis@ubc.ca) and Karleen Delaurier-Lyle (karleen.delaurier-lyle@ubc.ca).
Contact: Ursula Ellis (ursula.ellis@ubc.ca) and Karleen Delaurier-Lyle (karleen.delaurier-lyle@ubc.ca).