The following post is one in a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.
Defining Indigenous information literacy
In their recent article Information as a relation: Defining Indigenous information literacy Sandra Littletree, Nicola Andrews, and Jessie Loyer help to fill a gap in the field of Indigenous librarianship by exploring the practice area of Indigenous information literacy. They offer as a definition, “the ability to use information and create or gain knowledge while practicing the Indigenous concepts of relationality, reciprocity, and respect.” Their research is framed through learnings gleaned from practitioners and offers useful insights into how Indigenous librarians have melded and adapted information literacy practices to reflect and center Indigenous values and ways of knowing.
I learned so much in reading this article, and especially appreciate how the authors approached information gathering, utilizing research methodologies best suited for their purposes, their research subjects, and their primary audience. Indigenous information literacy practices include approaching information sources with necessary care and consideration but also involves considering when sources may expose researchers to trauma, and inviting what, in other contexts, could be considered alternative information sources. In centering an ethic of care and consideration in co-exploring research resources, practitioners of Indigenous information literacy build trust and relationships with students and others they work with. Although this is an area of practice that is exclusively for Indigenous knowledge workers, we can all benefit by knowing of and appreciating this work. Contributed by Merrilee Proffitt.
Book Review: Ethics in Linked Data
Provo, Alexandra Alisa, Kathleen Burlingame, and B. M. Watson, eds. Ethics in Linked Data. Series on Critical Information Organization in LIS. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 2023.
[Description from the publisher website] “This edited collection brings together contributions that explore ethics in linked data initiatives. Discussions about linked data and its potential are often utopian and technophiliac, rarely examining darker implications or harmful consequences….This book collects the voices of practitioners, technologists, and developers working on linked data initiatives; scholars working at the intersection of ethics, cultural heritage, and technology; and workers in GLAMS, among others in order to explore emerging and changing technical and ethical landscapes. Contributions investigate the intersection of linked data with such topics as gender, indigenous knowledge, inclusive data creation, authority control, identity management, systems design, codes of ethics, sustainability, critiques of fundamental linked data models, and more.”
The chapters of this book have been especially helpful for connecting ideas from Reimagine Descriptive Workflows to practical considerations in my work on linked data. For example, Stacy Allison-Cassin’s chapter on “Indigenous Nationhood, Sovereignty and Linked Data” provided me with additional context to concerns about representing Indigenous places and identities within our models. Daniele Metilli and Chiara Paolini’s chapter on non-binary gender representations in Wikidata is useful not only for its examination of the use of properties but also because it takes a close look at the evolution of ontological definitions of gender in Wikidata. The book closes with a useful “Ethics in Linked Data Checklist” created by several LD4 affinity groups that provides guiding questions for the planning, implementation, and maintenance of ethical linked data projects. Contributed by Richard J. Urban.
Resources to mark and celebrate Black History Month
To mark February as Black History Month in the United States, ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) brings together a deep and wide collection of “resources that amplify and celebrate Black history, including book reviews, podcast interviews, and more.” “Commemorating Black History Month with TIE and Choice Content” offers enough listening, viewing, and reading — including items from the Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) Blog — to enlighten us until next February, at least.
Black History Month traces its origin back to a 1926 idea by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to raise awareness about the too-often overlooked contributions of African Americans to United States history. The recognition that Black history is U.S. history is a central tenet of Black History Month, one that arises repeatedly in the sources cited and referenced in the Choice/TIE blog post. The compilers of the post will add more content throughout February and have also linked back to corresponding collections from last year. Contributed by Jay Weitz.
Merrilee Proffitt is Senior Manager for the OCLC RLP. She provides community development skills and expert support to institutions within the OCLC Research Library Partnership.
