Canadian partnership to enhance First Nations library services

In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, a new partnership is aiming to increase library resources on First Nations reserves, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Currently, out of 306 public libraries in the province, only six are on First Nations reserves. The Saskatchewan Committee on Indigenous Library Services (SCILS) is partnering with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner and the Saskatchewan Provincial Public Library Systems to bring more library services to Indigenous communities.

An agreement, which is scheduled to be signed on 30 October, will allow service providers to work directly with First Nations communities to establish more library resources. This coincides with new initiatives being launched at regional public libraries in Saskatchewan that will provide public information on Indigenous cultures, such as take-home kits including Indigenous stories and language development exercises.

‘With the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action, we’ve moved forward looking at those actions and seeing how libraries can accommodate and meet the needs of all people,’ said SCILS co-chair Ruth Barker. ‘Information is for everyone in our province.’

Tags: canadaIndigenous communitiespublic librariesSaskatchewan

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