iSchool Capstone

Snahul stsobojib sp’ijilal sjol yo’tan jlumaltic (Tseltal House of Wisdom) - Collection Management

Project tags:

archives & special collections

information literacy

knowledge organization

Project poster

The Tseltal Maya are an Indigenous people living in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico who are inheritors of a rich Mayan culture but experience extreme poverty. One of the many challenges they face is the loss of language and culture in the face of encroaching globalization and assimilation into the Mestizo culture. The Tseltal House of Wisdom will hold what will be the world's largest collection of Tseltal language materials. However, the current conditions in which the materials are stored, as well as a jungle environment, present the difficult task of organization and preservation. Through a partnership with the One Equal Heart Foundation, we traveled to Chiapas to assess their newly constructed building and collection to offer recommendations for Collection Development, Classification, Environmental Controls, and Technology. We hope the Tseltal House of Wisdom grows into a vital resource for the community as they continue to strengthen their language and culture.

Project participants:

Yvette Iribe Ramirez

MLIS

Paloma St Louis

MLIS