With a history of written conquest and rewritten pseudo-historical accounts of the American Indian experience in the historical record, and to fulfill the need of Indigenous scholars from all disciplines, I am calling our field to action: Recruit Indigenous Scholars in the Discipline of Library and Information Science. Their expertise is needed!
Indigenous librarians empower learners by introducing Evidence Based Research (EBR) to impress the need, significance and mutual benefits of Indigenous perspectives in the field of library and information science. By doing so, early and contemporary works align in theory and practice to recruit Native American or Alaska Native practitioners for the field of library science Other evidence includes a 2011 pilot study by Wayne State and Syracuse University. The findings illustrated a gap in cultural competence and a cultural mismatch from those of the library and information science students.
Design an interactive map to consider the geographic locations of the Tribal Colleges and Universities, in line with library programs. Internalizing the results with the goal to promote student success, and develop sustainable partnerships between Tribal librarians and Academic and mainstream librarians and information specialists.