Full Description
Aboriginal and Visible Minority Librarians: Oral Histories from Canada, is a collection of chapters written by librarians of color in Canada writing about their experiences working in libraries. This book is not only for librarians in Canada and for those who aspire to become librarians, it is also for deans, directors, and faculty of libraries and library schools, managers and supervisors in libraries, human resources personnel, and other decision-makers in the field. It will also appeal to researchers interested in race relations, multiculturalism, intercultural communications and management, cross-cultural communications and management, cross-cultural studies, diversity, Aboriginal peoples, indigenous populations, and ethnic or visible minorities.
The majority of the chapters written by visible minority librarians come from those born outside of Canada. They speak of their love for their new country, its generosity and support towards newcomers and immigrants, and their reasons for taking up the library profession. While few of the librarians speak of open racism, they narrate their experiences as those filled with challenges, self-doubt and courage. Several of the Aboriginal librarians who contributed to this book have worked within tribal communities and tribal libraries. In spite of working within community environments, they have experienced challenges, especially related to lack of funding.
These librarians speak of having to deal with tokenism, lack of mentorship, and working in professional isolation. Some of them narrate their challenges in working with colleagues who do not relate to them. Lack of support is common, as many organizations do not have proper strategies to deal with discrimination. However, these chapters end with a positive note of encouragement for future librarians; the authors encourage all librarians to be engaged, find trusted mentors, seek help when needed, focus on professional development, and find a niche in the organization.
Contents
Preface
Dr. Lotsee Patterson
Introduction
Deborah Lee and Maha Kumaran
Chapter 1: Building Libraries One Book At a Time
Suzy Bear
Chapter 2: Reflections on my Experience in Manitoba as a Visible Minority Librarian: A Personal Perspective and Review of Future Challenges for Visible Minority Librarians
Dr. Ganga B. Dakshinamurti
Chapter 3: Proud to be a Filipino Librarian
Erie Maestro
Chapter 4: Challenges and Successes of a Tribal College Librarian
Mary Weasel Fat
Chapter 5: From China to Canada: Experiences of a College Librarian in the Canadian Prairies
Lillian Li
Chapter 6: A Métis Librarian Autobiography
Jim Bruce
Chapter 7: The Toronto Public Library: A Personal Reflection on the 2010 Diversity Initiative
Suzanne Fernando
Chapter 8: Not a Mônîyâw Librarian
Jessie Loyer
Chapter 9: Diversity Pathways in Librarianship: Some of the Challenges Faced and Lessons learned as a Canadian-born Chinese Male Librarian
Allan Cho
Chapter 10: Observations of a New Immigrant Library Professional: Career Journey from India to Canada via the Netherlands
Arvind Shrivatsava
Chapter 11: Finding the Right Fit: An Aboriginal Librarian's Quest at Library and Archives Canada
Dale Blake
Chapter 12: Becoming the Rhizome: Empowering Librarians and Archivists of Colour
Kelly E. Lau
Chapter 13: Indigenous Peoples' New Canoe
Camille Callison
Chapter 14: A Minority Librarian's Journey: Challenges and Issues along the Way
Aditi Gupta
Chapter 15: Academic Inquiries at an Aboriginal Reference Desk During Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's B.C. National Event
Kim Lawson
Chapter 16: The Immigrant Librarian: Challenges Big and Small
Maha Kumaran
Chapter 17: The Right Place at the Right Time: Synchronicity and Indigenous Librarianship
Deborah Lee
Chapter 18: From Recruitment to Tenure: A Reflection on Race and Culture in a Canadian Academic Library
Nora Majekodunmi
Index
About the Contributors
