Alberta Native News: Edmonton Public Library puts a spotlight on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

May 24, 2018
by John Copley 

(ANNews) – The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) and the University of Alberta are co-hosting a series of initiatives that are addressing the recommendations to reconciliation as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

Voice for the Voiceless: A Moderated Speaker Panel on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, took place in Edmonton at the Citadel Theatre’s Zeidler Hall on May 22.

EPL Director of Branch Services & Community Engagement, Linda Garvin said the program was part of the EPL’s Exploring Reconciliation series and the fourth event to take place this year. The initiative, which got underway in 2016, doesn’t have a set amount of programs planned.

Edmonton Public Library’s Director of Branch Services & Community Engagement, Linda Garvin

“We are quite flexible, even nimble in our approach,” Garvin explained. “The programs are based on consultation with Indigenous community members. We are also involved with the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies and are working collaboratively with them whenever we have the opportunity.”

Garvin said that she is very pleased to note that the programs have all attracted large non-Indigenous audiences, something she said was first noticed when the president of the Sixties Scoop Indigenous Society of Alberta, Adam North Peigan, brought it up when he spoke at the EPL’s Birth of a Family screening earlier this year.

“Adam was quite pleased and noted how important it is to see a large representation of non-Indigenous people taking up the call for reconciliation, wanting to know more and to learn more. The feedback we’ve been getting indicates that more and more Canadians want to become involved in reconciliation. So many people are just beginning to learn about the plight of Indigenous people and they want to help make a difference.”

The Voice for the Voiceless speaker panel was moderated by Tanya Kappo, a Senior Policy Advisor for Treaty 8 First Nations. A well known women’s advocate Tanya is actively involved and engaged in issues and efforts for and by Indigenous people, particularly on issues that include women, land rights, sovereignty, and language retention.

A member of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Kappo is a mother and grandmother and a graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba; she was called to the Alberta Bar in 2014.

The Voice for the Voiceless initiative heard from three well-known speakers, Melanie Omeniho, Sara Howdle and Danielle Boudreau, each of whom encouraged the audience to get involved by asking questions and offering comments about their own experiences.

Danielle Powder is EPL’s Indigenous Relations Advisor

“All of the speakers who participated in Voice for the Voiceless panel are experienced and capable individuals who have been actively involved in MMIW cases and other important issues for many years,” noted Danielle Powder, EPL’s Indigenous Relations Advisor.

Powder, who works closely with Indigenous peoples, communities and agencies, is part of a team that explores reconciliation issues and then organize the programs that receive approval.

She is the EPL’s first Indigenous Relations Advisor, a position she’s held since September 2016. “Most of the work I do focuses on external relations with Indigenous organizations and groups, including a lot of committee work,” she explained in an interview. “I try to ensure that the EPL is involved with the community and in Indigenous-related initiatives. I also connect with Indigenous partners to put on programs in our library branches. We have a great relationship with the Canadian Native Friendship Centre and other community active organizations and together we put on programs at various library branches throughout the city.”

Powder also works closely with the EPL’s eight-person Indigenous Services team to host public events and to help in the preparation of the Exploring Reconciliation speaking series.

“As a team we meet monthly and brainstorm different topics and ideas and talk about such things as history, culture and current issues that we can bring into the library so our customers/clients can have meaningful conversations when they engage in these important topics.”

For more information on the Exploring Reconciliation Series or other Edmonton Public Library events and programs, visit epl.ca or call Danielle Powder at 587-588-9034.

Source: Alberta Native News

iSchool - University of Washington: Students' superpower: bringing LGBTQ comic books to light

Wednesday, May 16, 2018
By Jessi Loerch

 

“Representation matters. It’s a cliché, but it’s definitely true,” said Le Button.

Button and Aydin Kwan, both Information School Master of Library and Information Science students, have combined their academic knowledge with their personal interests in LGBTQ representation and comic books for their Capstone project. Together, they have created a database and website that will help readers, librarians and booksellers discover comics that tell a wide range of LGBTQ stories.

“For us, it’s very easy to find queer comics because we already speak the language of queer comics,” Kwan said. “But that’s not the way for everybody. For people who don’t already have access to queer comics, it can be hard to find representation. We are trying to make it easier for people who don’t already have fluency in queer comics.”

The Capstone project originally started as an assignment in their LIS 536 class, Metadata for Interactive Media. In their research, Button said, they discovered “there wasn’t really any centralized place to find comics that featured queer characters.” Button and Kwan wanted to fix that.

It quickly became clear, however, that their dreams for the project went beyond the scope of the class, so they continued the work with their Capstone project. Capstone gives students a chance to combine the skills they have learned throughout their iSchool education into a real-world project.

The students have carefully cataloged the comics in their database, where they include details on specific types of representation, including intersectional stories. For example, a reader could look for a comic featuring a lesbian character or a queer, disabled character. Kwan and Button have also included synopsis and content warnings; some of the comics have content warnings for homophobia, for example.

Populating the database with detailed information about each comic was a time-consuming process, but a task both Button and Kwan truly enjoyed. As comic aficionados, they were already familiar with many titles they wanted to include. To expand their list, they used social media, comic conventions and publishers such as Northwest Press, which publishes LGBTQ comics. Because they both already inhabit that world, collecting titles was easier for them.

The students don’t have time to include every LGBTQ comic out there, so when possible, they’re trying to include comics with representation that is the hardest to find, such as comics that feature people of color.

Button said that the iSchool has given him and Kwan the skills they need to make this project possible. Perhaps one of the most important skills, he said, was a strong focus on user-oriented design. They’ve worked carefully to ensure the website is easy to use and appealing to their audience. Test users have helped them to refine the site.

Kwan and Button praised their professors for giving them the room to focus on a topic they care about.

“It’s been great to be able to put this amount of time and effort into something that’s important and we’re passionate about and that’s fun to do,” Kwan said. “Capstone can be stressful and frustrating, but we get to read comics and it’s going to be something that helps a lot of people.”

“Working on this project has really clarified the use of my education here,” Kwan said. “I can really see that practical side.”

The two students worked with Geeks OUT, which produces Flame Con, the world’s largest LGBTQ comic convention. Nicole Gitau, president of Geeks OUT, advised Kwan and Button on the project.

She said that Kwan and Button have applied their iSchool training to a project that will make an impact at the exact right time. Comics are getting a lot of press, but many people don’t know where to start. She said the Queer Comics Database offers an easy starting point for those who want to learn about comics and diverse representation.

“For so many people, books are where they first see themselves,” Gitau said. “Comics can play an even greater role in self discovery, as so many of them are made for adolescents who are just starting to ask the big questions. An online tool that lets folks — old and young — find what speaks to them will make a real difference. And, as a former librarian, I can tell you that any resource that helps you cut through the noise and find the best book for your collection will be praised — and used often!”

Source: iSchool - University of Washington

hoodline: New pop-up mobile library aims to engage underserved neighborhoods

Tue. May 15, 2018
by Scott Morris

 Photo: Motiv Power Systems

Oakland’s newest library can go anywhere; on Friday, the city unveiled a customized vehicle that brings books, laptops, tablets, electronic charging stations and a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Dubbed the Oakland Public Library Mobile Outreach Vehicle (MOVe), the vehicle also carries gaming and bike repair equipment and can be used as a center for educational activities, movie nights, story times or just quiet reading.

“One of our long-term goals is to better serve our communities by connecting with them where they are,” said interim Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak.

“The MOVe is a great way for us to reach underserved youth and improve library access for those who have little contact with city services,” Turbak said.

The bright blue van is a Ford E-450 equipped with an electric chassis from Foster City-based Motiv Power Systems.It was designed by Gyroscope, Inc., and fabricated by Sheet Metal Alchemist, both businesses based in Oakland.

Its side panels, which rise up to reveal the books and equipment available, are adorned with illustrations designed by the nonprofit youth art organization Dragon School and students from MetWest High School.
 
When all its panels are extended, the library is 21 feet long and nearly 15 feet wide.

 

 A 3D printer was one of many amenities on hand when the library stopped at CIty Hall Friday. | Photo: Motiv power systems

The mobile library’s first stop was outside of City Hall on Friday, where it was parked outside the front entrance for most of the day.

“The libraries are the public service that is enjoyed by everybody,” Mayor Libby Schaaf said outside City Hall on Friday. “No matter what part of the city you live in, no matter your age, your income, your language, everybody loves a library.”

Schaaf then cut a red ribbon on the new library and there were activities throughout the day, including games, a 3D printer demonstration and a Korean cooking workshop.

The mayor used the event as an opportunity to campaign for a measure on the June 5 ballot, Measure D, which would impose a $75 parcel tax for library services for the next 20 years.

The tax would provide about $10 million annually for library services. City officials have said that the tax would allow the library to extend branch hours and allow some part-time workers to become full-time employees.

Previous parcel tax measures became a stop-gap for library funding following the 2008 recession. The new parcel tax would alsoset new minimum allocations from the city’s general fund and require the city to increase the library’s budget if other non-emergency city services are expanded.

 Source: hoodline

CBC.ca: Thunder Bay library welcomes street outreach nurses

May 22, 2018 | By Amy Hadley

Shelley Aretz, a public health nurse with the Thunder Bay Public Library, opens a suitcase of supplies she's now using to serve clients at the Brodie Library in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Amy Hadley/CBC)

On Friday afternoons at the Brodie Resource Library in Thunder Bay, Ont., patrons can now take out books and access some forms of non-emergency health care in the same visit.

In a room tucked away at the back of the building, street outreach nurses are now setting up for several hours each week, offering services such as sexually transmitted infection testing, wound care, naloxone kit training and counselling.

"It's about meeting community needs," said Tina Tucker, the director of communities for the Thunder Bay Public Library, adding that people visiting the library are often in need of health or social services that librarians are not equipped to provide.

"I think it's an awesome way for us to be able to deliver a service that would be unexpected in libraries, but is helpful for the people that use us every day."

After noticing the health unit's outreach vehicle parked in the neighbourhood, Tucker said the library asked the nurses if they might like to set up shop inside.

"I thought it it was a great idea," said Shelley Aretz, a public health nurse with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.

"We're happy to go wherever people are and meet them where they're at to offer services that are needed." 

They've already connected with some new clients by adding the library to their list of stops, she said.

It can be difficult for some clients to make their way to clinics, and that's why it's so important to bring health services out into the community, she added.

"It helps to improve health outcomes for a lot of people."

Hosting nurses is just one more way in which the public library is striving to become a true community hub, Tucker said, pointing to other programs and community partnerships that are expanding the range of services offered, including access to a social worker who now holds hours in two library branches.

The street outreach workers can be found on the second level of the Brodie library on Fridays, between 1 and 3:30 p.m.

Source: CBC.ca

CBC.ca: Thunder Bay Public Library adopts anti-racism focus

Concerns about racism came through 'loud and clear,' in community consultations, says library CEO


May 11, 2018 | CBC

John Pateman, CEO of the Thunder Bay Public Library,
says the job of libraries is to listen to, and respond to,
the needs of the community. (Thunder Bay Public Library)

What role should libraries play in our community today? The head of the Thunder Bay Public Library believes it should be about much more than books. And that's why one of the new focuses for the organization, is combatting racism. 9:14

John Pateman understands that it might take some time for people to wrap their heads around the idea of libraries fighting racism.

"I think people don't immediately get the connection between what a library does and racism," said Pateman, the CEO and Chief Librarian of the public library service in Thunder Bay, Ont. "They think of the library, often, still as a very traditional kind of service, traditional building, providing books and information."

This issue of racism has come through loud and clear

         - John Pateman, CEO, Thunder Bay Public Library

But to Pateman, libraries are about more than books and information. They're also about meeting the broader needs of the community.

And that's why, he said, as the Thunder Bay Public Library develops its next strategic plan, it's identified decolonization and anti-racism efforts as priorities.

Racism has made Thunder Bay the subject of national and even international headlines in recent years, said Pateman.

It also emerged as a frequent topic in community consultations held by the library, to get a better sense of what people hope for and worry about in the city.

"What we've found time and time again, in pretty much every conversation, doesn't matter who we've spoken to, what the demographic is ... is this issue of racism has come through loud and clear."   

All four branches of the Thunder Bay Public Library will soon have sections dedicated to Indigenous knowledge and history, said library CEO John Pateman. (wikimedia.org)

New partnerships, services

While they are taking a stronger stance, the focus on racism isn't actually a dramatic change for the library, he said, adding that the library's current five-year strategic plan, which expires at the end of this year, focused on social inclusion and diversity.

With those goals in mind, the library has already been taking steps to change its structure and practices.

One of the first steps was to appoint an Indigenous liaison worker, who in turn, put together an Indigenous advisory council which is guiding the library as it moves forward, said Pateman.

Library patrons will start to notice some more visible changes. All four branches will soon have "Indigenous knowledge centres" — dedicated sections filled with books relating to Indigenous knowledge and culture.

Highlighting books on Indigenous culture

The creation of these knowledge centres has also prompted the library to take a critical look at books in its collection; in particular, books about Indigenous people written by non-Indigenous people.

"This in itself has created discussion and debates about what is sitting on our shelves," Pateman said. "How much of it is settler, colonial material, effectively, and how much is authentic material?"

Another change is underway at the Waverley Library, where Anishinabek Employment and Training Services — an organization that provides employment training and assistance to Indigenous people — will occupy the lower floor of the library building. The two organizations will work together and share resources, he said.

All examples of how libraries can further their role as inclusive community hubs, as well as places to borrow books, Pateman said.

Source: CBC.ca

Ontario.ca: Ontario Making the Largest Investment in Public Libraries in a Generation

Province Boosting Access to Technology, Digital Library Resources

May 4, 2018 | Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Ontario is making the largest investment in public libraries in a generation, and improving access to technology, digital services and training opportunities at public libraries in towns, cities and Indigenous communities across the province.

Daiene Vernile, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, was at the Kitchener Public Library today to announce new support for Ontario's libraries through the 2018 Budget.

A new provincial Digital Public Library will be created that will make digital library services such as e-books, audiobooks, digital databases and learning resources available for free to people across Ontario, regardless of where they live. In total, 300 public libraries across the province will be supported, including those in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

In addition the province is also boosting annual funding for libraries by $51 million over three years, to ensure that public libraries can continue to be essential spaces for people to access cultural experiences, technology and community life. These new investments will support libraries across Ontario as they continue to respond to the needs of their residents with innovative services, no matter the size of the community.

Investing in libraries is part of the government's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes free prescription drugs for everyone under 25, and 65 or over, through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, and free preschool child care from 2 ½ to kindergarten.

Quick Facts

• Ontario is investing $28 million over three years to create a provincial Digital Public Library.
• Ontario’s 2018 budget will also invest $51 million over three years in annual increases to public library operating funding.
• The Digital Public Library will be phased in and available provincewide within three years.
• Ontario is home to 300 public libraries, including 46 First Nations libraries that serve over 99 per cent of the population.
• This funding supports Ontario’s Culture Strategy and the commitment to support Ontario’s public and First Nation libraries as essential spaces for people to access cultural experiences, technology and community life.

Source: Ontario.ca

To keep people happy … keep some books

By Saskia Leferink

24 January, 2018 

At the 2017 Dutch Contact Day last October, we heard how staff at the library of the Free University of Amsterdam is going to renovate their library space. One request students made? Surprisingly (perhaps), they wanted books around them. Not just because of the information that physical books provide, but because of the atmosphere and comfort they provide. So, the library kept the books as part of their renovation.

This may seem counterintuitive in our digital world as more and more of our experiences happen online. And it raises a few questions: What role does the physical library play in a digital world? And what makes people still want to come to this place?

Joren van Dijk, a well-known environmental psychologist, helped Contact Day attendees explore and address this fascinating topic. What he told us, based on his research, is that physical space is still very important. In fact, for libraries, it’s crucial if we want to become or remain that special “Third Place” where people gather to engage, meet, and learn in an ambiance that promotes both conversation and quiet relaxation.

What design elements help create all of those feelings? Nature, flexible space, and … books.

Physical space still matters

The theme for the 13th annual OCLC Contact Day in the Netherlands was “Third Places: Experience is environment.” I had the honor to host more than 300 members from across the country who came together in Rotterdam for one day to discuss how we can make our libraries “the places to be.”

Clearly, in today’s world, the library competes with other places, such as restaurants, cafés, concert halls, and parks to name a few, to be the preferred Third Place, where people let down their guard, relax, be themselves, develop new friendships, and deepen existing ones.

The concept of Third Places was first coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg in the early 1990s in his book, The Great Good Place. It’s a space where people meet to unwind, discuss, and talk about things that matter to them, their neighborhood, and their community. It’s a space distinct both from the work environment where communication and interaction can be functional, stereotyped, and superficial and distinct from the domestic space of home and family life.

Third Places provide opportunities for a community to develop and retain a sense of cohesion and identity. They are about sociability, not isolation.

At Contact Day, Joren stressed the role of the physical facility, whether we are conscious of it or not, in shaping experiences. He studies how the physical environment influences the behavior and perception of people. And he challenged us to think about how we can improve the library experience for our users and how we can make our libraries more attractive.

  

Improve your space with these three tips

If you are considering a remodel of your library space, or building a completely new facility, Joren suggests these three things.

• Involve end users in the design. By involving people from your community in the design process, you can respond better to their diverse needs and wishes. Participation in the design process can also increase the involvement of end users at the library; the library transitions from a library to their library. 

• Bring the outdoors in. Nature impacts people, and research shows that seeing or experiencing nature results in vastly improved concentration. That can be nice views of nature, nature in the building, or even images of nature. Because of nature, people can study better and are refreshed in the process. 

• Offer a range of spaces. The way a physical space meets the needs of individuals in specific user groups is key. Some space should be designed for social interaction to support group meetings and brainstorming. Some space needs to be designed for people who like to work in silence. Be careful not to ignore the needs of user groups or to place conflicting functions side by side.

Environment is part of who we are

Although we live in a technology-driven, digital world, physical space remains core to the human experience. People long for community and places to go for solace, comfort, reflection, and joy.

As Joren told us, the environment will influence how users experience your library, both the physical and the digital. By carefully designing our space and delivering the services users need, libraries can maintain and grow their role and increase their relevance as community hubs.

Source: OCLC