Although libraries are often viewed as trusted spaces for readers and learners, they are not free from the colonial histories embedded in traditional knowledge organization systems. The colonial history in Canada has forced Indigenous Peoples to envision themselves within imposed frameworks, reflected in library classification systems that present inaccurate, offensive, and biased representation of the Indigenous Peoples. This Ignite Talk explores how Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library is reimagining metadata practices through the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection, implementing a modified Brian Deer Indigenous Classification system that centers Indigenous voices and ways of knowing.

Presenter

Cleire Lauron, MLIS is the Metadata & Discovery Librarian at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She is also a sessional faculty at the University of Fraser Valley’s Department of Information Studies and the University of British Columbia’s School of Information. She is currently a member of the Program of Cooperative Cataloging Task Group on Vocabularies, Languages, and Scripts Related to Indigenous Peoples of the Americas and the RDA (Resource Description and Access) Training in Canada Working Group.