Aboriginal Services at Winnipeg Public Library: Challenges and What’s Working Monique Woroniak, MLIS [email protected] for Manitoba Libraries Conference May, 2014 Aboriginal Services at WPL • Dedicated collections (budget lines) • Dedicated spaces in central facility • Outreach services to key neighbourhoods • “Book-a-Librarian” • Programming in wide range of library locations (children/families & adult) 2 Aboriginal Reading-in-theRound Fall, 2005; art addition, Spring, 2010 3 Elder-in-Residence 2010-2011 6 “The Last Word on First Words” May – June, 2012 8 9 New Adult Aboriginal Resources Area May, 2013 10 11 12 13 Challenges - Broad • Our institutions are not Indigenous; part of ongoing colonial project • Working in a time of austerity – re. our institutions and the people we serve • Bureaucracy 14 Challenges - Specific • Subject headings • The time needed…for everything in this area! • Relationships – Involving multiple faces from the library – Need for both “awareness” and on-the-ground training 15 Successes – What’s working? • Creating spaces 16 17 Successes – What’s working? • Highlighting authors 18 Indigenous Writers’ Collective of Manitoba “New Voices” launch, Millennium Library, 2013 19 Credit: Saffron Scott Successes – What’s working? • Taking our time & staying in touch 20 Successes – What’s working? • Complimentary programming – Most recent with “Walking With Our Sisters” installation in Winnipeg 21 Future direction: public education role – “I found this to be a very powerful film, and I am glad the library brought this in. Awareness needs to be made about this issue. I only wish the mainstream theatres would take the time to show films such as this.” – “It is good to bring awareness to this issue. Please continue to have programming on indigenous issues for all to learn from.”