iSchool Capstone

Shifting Perspectives: Presenting Problematic Depictions of Native Americans

Project tags:

archives & special collections

information policy & ethics

social justice

Project poster

Special Collections currently houses a large donated collection of Historical Children’s Literature that focuses on Indigenous people, approximately 1500 books. Our project centers on how Natives Americans were depicted between the 1930s and 1970s, how their portrayal has changed over time, and what we as information professionals can do to present this data accurately and responsibly in the current day. We approached this by splitting the scope between public libraries, where possible, and academic libraries/special collections, as each of us has different interests and goals but a common purpose of making these historical materials available.

Project participants:

Xavier Keeto

MLIS

Matthew Hurley

MLIS