Indigenous Librarians: Knowledge Keepers in the 21st Century

Abstract

This article discusses reasons why there are so few Indigenous librarians in Canada and proposes some solutions to this situation including by shining an interesting and favorable light on the profession. Many Indigenous people have a poor understanding of librarianship and how libraries and their staff can help communities reach self-determination. These misunderstandings are the result of a long over-due lack of advocacy for the profession. The purpose of this article is to change that invisibility by incorporating unique quotes of more than two dozen Indigenous librarians interviewed by the author and other techniques to promote a career in librarianship to Indigenous people.