Last week I had the privilege of attending the Beyond Hope Library Conference in Prince George. It’s a biannual conference of librarians who serve small or rural libraries in B.C. - “Beyond Hope” playfully meaning outside of the Lower Mainland and standing apart from the large library systems there.
At the conference, I was able to listen to talks delivered by two very different but equally interesting speakers. One was the keynote address delivered by actress Grace Dove and the other was a lunch-time presentation by School Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, Skye Patrick.
Grace Dove is Secwépemc First Nation from the Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake Band) near 100 Mile House in B.C. She is well known as playing opposite Leonardo Dicaprio in the 2015 Academy Award-winning film The Revenant. She spoke of her experience growing up in Prince George, auditioning for acting parts in Los Angeles, acting alongside famous actors and directors and “getting the stare down” from one of Leonardo Dicaprio’s model girlfriends.
Grace also spoke of trying to navigate her career as a strong Indigenous woman. She wore a t-shirt with “Strong, Resilient, Indigenous” written on it and explained that she cut her hair short to get away from the stereotypical “Indian woman” look.
She also asked libraries to be allies of Indigenous communities. Growing up in Prince George, the public library was a safe space for her and she reminded us, librarians, to reaffirm and improve on our commitment to creating safe spaces for members of our local First Nations communities.
I took her message to heart. With the release of the Truth and Reconciliation report in 2015 and last week’s release of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Inquiry report, very concrete actions have been laid out for public institutions to implement and improve their service to local Indigenous communities.
In Vancouver, I was able to see some of the work being done to train staff and work with the local Coast Salish, Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam peoples. However, I also saw how the pressures of bureaucracy and ingrained colonial thinking can also undermine this work. Public libraries love tooting their own horn about being truly democratic spaces, but history shows us this hasn’t always been the case. And I’m sure you don’t have to travel far to hear a story about someone not feeling welcome in the library. I’ve certainly heard many over the years.
But there are champions like LA County Chief Librarian Skye Patrick, who are working hard to make public libraries more inclusive. Skye Patrick identifies as a black, queer woman who overcame her experience in foster care to become the head of the LA County Library system, which includes over 80 library branches, 1,500 staff, and a $200 million dollar annual budget.
Like Grace, Skye experienced the library as a safe space for her growing up. She shared some of the programs that LA County offer now to help other young people feel safe, including a youth DJ camp and young mens’ mentoring programs. She also shared some of the programs LA County provides for newcomers looking to become citizens and for isolated elderly people in assisted-living facilities.
Of course, Creston’s library doesn’t work with a $200 million dollar budget. But I do think there is a lot of good work we can do with the resources we have.
I also take seriously the idea of the library as a safe space for all and I’m acutely aware of the barriers we still need to overcome to make this ideal a reality. I know there are people already doing this work in our community, like the Yaqan Nukiy people and OUTspoken. As the new chief librarian in Creston, I commit to working with our library staff and our community to make the library a place that is truly welcome to all.
Upcoming Library Events
Lynda.com - online courses, free anytime with your library card
Family Storytime - Thursday, June 27 @ 10:30 am.
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