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