T18: Indigenizing Our Book Collections
Session Description
Generously Sponsored By: ProQuest
Choosing books for libraries that have Indigenous content can be confusing and a bit daunting. This workshop will discuss what authentic Indigenous voice is, and using a template provided, participants will be shown how to assess if a book has authentic Indigenous voice. We will be using the work that the Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC) has been doing on the Indigenous Catalogue for the last two years as an exemplar for how librarians can look critically at and assess their existing collections. Books from different subject areas and reading levels will be discussed. Additionally, we will look at non-book resources for authenticity.
Speakers
Jackie Lever
Biography
Jackie Lever is a proud Métis person and lives on Vancouver Island. Over the years, she has worked for Association of Book Publishers of BC as an annotator, and most recently as the Indigenous Consultant for their book catalogues for librarians and educators. She has been an educator for various schools districts in BC and Alberta, working as a classroom and district level teacher, as well as an administrator. She has written curriculum for the BC Ministry of Education and UBC.
Heidi Waechtler, Association of Book Publishers of BC
Biography
Heidi Waechtler is the executive director of the Association of Book Publishers of BC (ABPBC), a provincial association of BC owned and controlled book publishing companies. The ABPBC has organized several workshops led by Gregory Younging, publisher of Theytus Books, on Indigenous editorial agency and considerations for publishers of Indigenous content. In February 2018, the ABPBC co-organized Publishing Unbound, an event that brought together authors, activists, scholars, and publishing professionals from across Canada for a conversation about systemic barriers to accessing Canadian publishing. Heidi was previously the managing editor at Coach House Books, a literary press based in Toronto.