Audience Tools

Specializations

  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge
  • Information Services
  • Native North American Indigenous Librarianship

Research Areas

Biography

Sandy Littletree (Navajo/Eastern Shoshone) is an Assistant Professor focused on Native North American Indigenous Knowledge at the Information School at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on the emerging field of Indigenous information science, particularly Indigenous librarianship and the intersections of tribal sovereignty, technology, knowledge, and information in Native North America. Littletree’s research is guided by Indigenous ways of knowing, that is, the ways Native people have been creating, transmitting, categorizing, and preserving knowledge since the beginning of time. Relationality is at the core of this approach, informing the structure, core values, and ethics of Indigenous information science. She examines institutions not just as repositories of information, but also as spaces that can maintain and support the continuation of Indigenous ways of knowing. Littletree holds an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University, an M.S. in Information Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Information Science from the University of Washington.

Professor Littletree is currently recruiting Ph.D. students for Autumn 2024 who are interested in pursuing research aligned with her focus in Native North American Indigenous knowledge and information science.

Education

  • Ph D, Information Science, University of Washington, 2018
  • Information Science, University of Washington, 2015
  • MSIS, Information Studies, University of Texas at Austin, 2006
  • MA, Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico State University, 2004
  • BS, Education, New Mexico State University, 2000

Awards

  • Archival Innovator Award for the Indigenous Archival Training Program - Society of American Archivists, 2024
  • American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) Scholar - Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies, University of Washington, 2022-2023
  • Centering Washington Tribal Libraries: Building Relationships and Understanding Libraries from the Stories of their Communities (CWATL) - The Mellon Foundation, 2022-2023
  • Nomination for 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award - UW Center for Teaching and Learning, 2023
  • The Qacagʷac (ca-tsa-gwats) Award - UW Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies (CAIIS), 2022
  • Nomination for 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award - UW Center for Teaching and Learning, 2019
  • Notable Dissertation - American Libraries Magazine, 2019
  • Scholarship - New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum Support, 2019
  • Fellowship - American Indian Graduate Center, 2016-2018
  • Dissertation Fellowship - GO-MAP, University of Washington, 2016-2017
  • Cobell Summer Graduate Research Fellowship, 2017
  • Fellowship - American Indian Graduate Center, 2013-2014
  • NCAIS Summer Institute - Newberry Library, Chicago, 2014
  • Presidential Fellowship - GO-MAP, University of Washington, 2012

Consulting and Other Projects

  • Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Washington, DC, 2022
  • University of Hawaiʻi, 2021
  • Tribal College Librarians Institute (TCLI), 2017
  • The Newberry Library, Chicago, IL

Memberships

  • iNative, University of Washington Information School
  • Association for Library and Information Science Education
  • Native American and Indigenous Studies Association
  • Society of American Archivists
  • Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
  • American Indian Library Association
  • American Library Association
  • Indigenous Information Research Group, University of Washington Information School

Publications and Contributions

  • Conference Paper
    Stewarding Contextual Integrity in Data Services in Indigenous Scholarship (2024)
    Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 61(1), pp. 626-631 Authors: Carole L Palmer, Sebastian Karcher, Miranda Belarde-Lewis, Sandra Littletree, Nestor Guerrero
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    The Squaxin Island Museum Library and Research Center: A Report from the Field of Tribal Libraries and Museums (2024)
    International Journal of Librarianship, 9(2), pp. 51–59 Authors: Sandra Littletree, Charlene Krise
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Information as a Relation: Defining Indigenous Information Literacy (2023)
    Journal of Information Literacy, 17(2), pp. 4-23 Authors: Sandra Littletree, Nicola Andrews, Jessie Loyer
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Washington Tribes Gather at WLA to Envision the Future (2023)
    Alki: Washington Library Association Journal, 39(2) Authors: Sandra Littletree, Cindy Aden
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Centering Washington Tribal Libraries: Establishing the Foundations (2022)
    Alki: The Washington Library Association Journal, 38(3), pp. 5-8 Authors: Sandra Littletree, Cindy Aden
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    "Of course, Data Can Never Fully Represent Reality": Assessing the Relationship between Indigenous Data and IK, TEK, and TK” (2020)
    Human Biology, 163(Unknown Issue) Authors: Marissa Duarte, Sandra Littletree, Miranda Belarde-Lewis
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Centering Relationality: A Conceptual Model to Advance Indigenous Knowledge Organization Practices (2020)
    Knowledge Organization, 47(5) Authors: Sandra Littletree, Miranda Belarde-Lewis, Marissa Duarte
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Knowledge Organization from an Indigenous Perspective: The Mashantucket Pequot Thesaurus of American Indian Terminology Project (2015)
    Cataloging & Classification Quarterly Special Issue - Indigenous Knowledge Organization, 53(5-6), pp. 640-657 Authors: Sandra Littletree, Cheryl A. Metoyer
  • Conference Poster
    Native Systems of Knowledge (poster) (2014)
    Research Fair 2014 Authors: Cheryl A. Metoyer, Sandra Littletree, Miranda Belarde-Lewis, Marissa Duarte, Juan-Carlos Chavez, Ross Braine, Tess Cervantes, Ivette Bayo Urban, Sheryl Day
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Message from AILA President (2012)
    American Indian Library Association Newsletter, 35(Unknown Issue) Author: Sandra Littletree
  • Book, Chapter in Non-Scholarly Book-New
    Advocacy and Marketing for the Tribal Library (2011)
    Tribal libraries, archives, and museums: Preserving our language, memory, and lifeways, pp. 199-202 Author: Sandra Littletree
  • Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
    Communities of Practice in Residency Programs: The NCSU Libraries Fellows Program (2011)
    The New Graduate Experience: Post-MLS Residency Programs and Early Career Librarianship, ISBN/ISSN: 9781591588863 Authors: Sandra Littletree, Hyun-Duck Chung
  • Journal Article, Professional Journal
    Message from AILA President (2011)
    American Indian Library Association Newsletter, 34(Unknown Issue) Author: Sandra Littletree
  • Journal Article, Academic Journal
    Knowledge River: A case study of a library and information science program focusing on Latino and Native American perspectives (2010)
    Library Trends, 59 (1-2), pp. 67-87 Authors: Patricia Montiel-Overall, Sandra Littletree
  • Book, Chapter in Non-Scholarly Book-New
    Tribal Libraries Advocacy Guide (2008)
    Author: Sandra Littletree
  • Book, Non-Scholarly-Revised
    Tribal Libraries Procedures Manual, 3rd Edition (2008)
    Author: Sandra Littletree
  • Conference Paper
    Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Native Librarians (2006)
    Proceedings of the First Joint Conference of Librarians of Color, pp. 293-304 Author: Sandra Littletree

Presentations

  • Hear Our Stories: A Call to Action for Indigenizing Information Science Educational Spaces (2024)
    The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Conference - Portland, OR
  • Hear Our Stories: A Call to Action for Indigenizing Information Science Educational Spaces panel (2024)
    The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Conference - Portland, Oregon
  • Centering Washington Tribal Libraries (2023)
    Washington Library Association Annual Conference 2023 - Wenatchee, Washington
  • Centering Washington Tribal Libraries, Centering Relationality (2023)
    2023 International Indigenous Librarians Forum - Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Centering Washington Tribal Libraries: Lessons Learned from a One-Year Project (2023)
    2023 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Envisioning the Future of Tribal Libraries (2023)
    2023 INFOcon–The Future of Information Science - Virtual
  • Envisioning the Future of Tribal Libraries: A Washington Tribal Library Convening (2023)
    Tribal Library Convening Pre-Conference, Washington Library Association - Wenatchee, WA
  • Implementing Data Services for Indigenous Scholarship and Sovereignty (2023)
    International Association for Social Science Information Service and Technology Conference (IASSIST 2023) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Information as a Relation: Defining Indigenous Information Literacy (2023)
    2023 International Indigenous Librarians Forum - Honolulu, Hawaii
  • The Protocols For Native American Archival Materials: Reminders of Relationality (2023)
    Indigenous Knowledges in Digital Spaces - Day 1: Protocols, Centre for Indigenous and Settler Colonial Studies - University of Kent (Virtual)
  • Treaties and Tribal Libraries (2023)
    American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) Scholars, University of Washington - Seattle, Washington
  • Welcome to Information Science (2023)
    51st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science / l’Association canadienne des sciences de l’information (CAIS/ACSI) - Virtual
  • Centering Relationality in Indigenous Knowledge Organization (2022)
    Dublin Core - Virtual
  • Data Services for Indigenous Scholarship and Sovereignty (DSISS) project (2022)
    Seattle, WA
  • Indigenous Knowledge Organization (2022)
    ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL 2022) - Cologne, Germany (virtual)
  • Indigenous Knowledge Organization (2022)
    20th European Networked Knowledge Organization Systems (NKOS) Virtual Workshop, part of ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL 2022) - Cologne, Germany (virtual)
  • Indigenous Knowledge Organization (2022)
    Virtual
  • Circling Relationality in LIS (2021)
    UCLA Information Studies Colloquium - Virtual
  • Co-Creating Knowledge in LIS Research: An Indigenous Researcher’s Approach (2021)
    American Library Association (ALA) Library Research Round Table (LRRT) - Online
  • Conversations with Indigenous Information Scientists: Relationality, Research, and Pedagogy (2021)
    Annual Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference - Virtual
  • In Conversation with Tracie D. Hall, Sandy Littletree, and Kathy Zappitello (2021)
    Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference - Reno/Sparks, Nevada
  • Inclusive Curriculum (2021)
    Guest Faculty Retreat, University of Washington Museology Graduate Program - Virtual
  • My Pathway through Librarianship (2021)
    Oskapewis Mentorship Group, Council of Prairie & Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL) - Canada (Virtual)
  • Understanding Relationality: Centering Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Academic Librarianship (2021)
    University of Miami Libraries, Library Indigenous Studies Group - Virtual
  • Welcome to Information Science (SIG-HFIS) (2021)
    84th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology - Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Breathing Life into the Circles: Communities, Knowledge, and Action (2020)
    Hoʻokele Naʻauao 2020: A Hawaiian Librarianship Symposium - Virtual
  • Centering Native Voices in Intellectual History (2020)
    Society for U.S. Intellectual History Conference (USIH2020) - Virtual
  • Collaborating Through Slides (2020)
    Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies (CAIIS) Online Teaching Symposium - Seattle, WA (Virtual)
  • Coming Full Circle: Centering Relationality and Indigenous Ways of Knowing in LIS Teaching, Research, and Practice (2020)
    University of Arizona iSchool Colloquium Series - Tucson, AZ (Virtual)
  • PhD Visit Day Panel: Developing Your Teaching Skills as a PhD Student (2020)
    University of Washington iSchool - Seattle, WA (Virtual)
  • A Brief History of Tribal Libraries (2019)
    American Indian Library Association's 40th Anniversary Celebration, Annual ALA Conference - Washington, DC
  • ALA Leaders Wanted (2019)
    American Library Association - Washington, DC
  • Continuing the Work: A Model Indian Library (2019)
    Nisqually Tribal Library Retreat - Shelton, Washington
  • Focusing on Indigenous Ontologies in LIS (2019)
    Mount Royal University Library - Calgary, Alberta
  • Honoring Relationality: Centering Indigenous Perspectives in Library Services (2019)
    Mount Royal Univerity Library - Calgary, Alberta
  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge at the Intersections of the Information Science Field and Academia (2019)
    HASTAC 2019 Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education Conference - Vancouver, British Columbia
  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge at the Intersections of the LIS Field and Academia (2019)
    International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum 2019 - Auckland, New Zealand
  • Native American Library Services History: Stories from the Archives (2019)
    Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute - Bozeman, Montana
  • The Evolution of Library Services for Native People: A Timeline (2019)
    IMLS Tribal Libraries Convening: Guiding IMLS Funding to Meet the Needs of Tribal Librarians and Their Communities - Washington, DC
  • The History and Development of Tribal Libraries in the United States (2019)
    International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum 2019 - Auckland, New Zealand
  • The Things We Do: Indigenous Approaches to Knowledge and the Verbs that Drive Our Work (2019)
    Sorting Libraries Out: Decolonizing Classification and Indigenizing Description 2019 - Burnaby, British Columbia
  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge in the Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculum (2018)
    Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference - Los Angeles, California
  • Relationality and Indigenous Systems of Knowledge: At the Heart of an LIS Pedagogy (2018)
    iSchool Colloquia Series at the University of British Columbia - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Relationality and Indigenous Systems of Knowledge: At the Heart of Indigenous Librarianship (2018)
    3rd Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Relationality. Reciprocity. Responsibility. Respect: Library Services Based on Indigenous Systems of Knowledge (2018)
    Puget Sound Educational Service District Teacher Librarian Institute - Seattle, Washington
  • The History and Currency of Tribal Libraries: Sovereignty, Information, and Empowerment (2018)
    3rd Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Archival Education That Serves the Needs of Tribal Archivists and Communities (2017)
    Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting - Portland, OR
  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge (2017)
    Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute - Bozeman, Montana
  • Sharing Stories of Tribal Libraries: History, Sovereignty, and Empowerment (2017)
    2017 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) - Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
  • Tribal Library Stories (2017)
    Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute - Bozeman, Montana
  • The Indigenous Information Research Group: Rebuilding Nations, Empowering Communities (2016)
    International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums - Phoenix, Arizona
  • Co-creating knowledge: Indigenous Systems of Knowledge and Information Institutions (2015)
    International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum - Winnipeg, Canada
  • Exploring the PhD Option (2015)
    IFLA New Professionals Special Interest Group webinar series - webinar
  • Indigenous Systems of Knowledge and Information Institutions: Intersections and Strategies (2015)
    Symposium of Native & Indigenous Scholarship - Seattle, Washington
  • Leaders Wanted: Is an LIS Doctoral Program Right for You? (2015)
    American Library Association Annual Conference - San Francisco, California
  • Native Systems of Knowledge (2015)
    International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum - Winnipeg, Canada
  • Rebuilding Nations: Empowering Communities (2015)
    iSchool Research Fair - Seattle, Washington
  • Indigenous Knowledge Organization Project: Knowledge Organization from an Indigenous Perspective (2014)
    Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies, Graduate Student Conference - Chicago, Illinois
  • Leaders Wanted: Cultivating Diversity in LIS Education (2014)
    American Library Association Annual Conference - Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Native Systems of Knowledge (2014)
    iSchool Research Fair - Seattle, Washington
  • Indigenous Knowledge Organization Project: Knowledge Organization from an Indigenous Perspective (2013)
    iSchool Research Fair - Seattle, Washington
  • Indigenous Librarianship: A Pathway to Revitalizing Culturally Informed Senses (2013)
    12th Annual Symposium of Native & Indigenous Scholarship at the University of Washington - Seattle, WA
  • Leaders Wanted: Cultivating Diversity in LIS Education (2013)
    American Library Association Annual Conference - Chicago, Illinois
  • We are All Related: Relationality and Cultivating Communities of Practice for Indigenous Librarians? (2013)
    Alaska Native Libraries Archives Museums Summit - Anchorage, Alaska
  • 10 Years of Knowledge River at the University of Arizona: Graduates Reflect on Latino and Native American Library Services in LIS Education and in the Field (2012)
    Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Kansas City, Missouri
  • Bringing Our Children Home: Co-Creating a Knowledge Management System with the National Indian Child Welfare Association (2012)
    iSchool Research Fair - Seattle, Washington
  • Celebrating 10 Years of Knowledge River at the University of Arizona: Perspectives of Indigenous Students and Alumni (2012)
    IFLA Presidential Programme: Indigenous Knowledges. Local Priorities, Global Contexts. - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Navigating Indian Country: Library Services to Indigenous Communities (2012)
    Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Kansas City, Missouri
  • Qualitative Data: Stories of Arizona's Tribal Libraries (2012)
    Arizona Archives Summit - Phoenix, Arizona
  • Stories of Arizona's Tribal Libraries: The Value of Stories and Lived Perspectives (2012)
    Arizona Centennial Conference - Phoenix, Arizona
  • Stories of Arizona’s Tribal Libraries: An Oral History Project (2012)
    Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Kansas City, Missouri
  • What’s New with the IFLA Indigenous Matters Special Interest Group (2012)
    Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Kansas City, Missouri
  • A Conversation with Distinguished Guests Camila Alire and Cheryl Metoyer on Leadership (2011)
    Knowledge River 10 Year Reunion, Knowledge River Leadership: Perspectives from Students, Alumni, and Distinguished Guests - Tucson, Arizona
  • Digital Divide to Digital Inclusion: Increasing Access for Native and Latino Communities (2011)
    Arizona Library Association Pre-Conference - Tucson, Arizona
  • Emerging Best Practices for Latino/a Recruitment in Academic Librarianship (2011)
    REFORMA National Conference - Denver, Colorado
  • Knowledge River (2011)
    Association of Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums - Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Library Services to Native American Populations (2011)
    University of AZ School of Information Resources and Library Science Graduate Student Symposium - Tucson, Arizona
  • Managing Digital Archives: What Does Cultural Competence Have to Do With It? (2011)
    University of AZ School of Information Resources and Library Science - Tucson, Arizona
  • The Diversity Imperative for Cultivating 21st Century Librarians: The Knowledge River Model (2011)
    World Library and Information Congress, 77th IFLA General Conference and Council, New Professionals Special Interest Group session - San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Knowledge River Scholars, Where are They Now? (2010)
    Arizona Library Association - Fort McDowell, Arizona
  • The Future of Libraries and Library Education (2010)
    University of AZ School of Information Resources and Library Science - Tucson, Arizona
  • What is Knowledge River? (2010)
    Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute - Bozeman, Montana
  • Reinvent Your Professional Identity: How to maximize job opportunities during a downturned economy (2009)
    American Library Association Annual Conference - Chicago, Illinois
  • Advocacy for Tribal Libraries (2008)
    Gathering of Arizona Tribal Libraries - Salt River, Arizona
  • Advocacy for Tribal Libraries (2008)
    National Institute for Tribal Libraries - Catoosa, Oklahoma
  • IM a Native Librarian: The NCSU Fellow Experience as a Technology Bridge for Native American Librarians (2008)
    Southwest Texas Popular/American Culture Association - Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • The Tribal Library Procedures Manual (TRAILS) (2007)
    National Conference of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Thinking Outside the Box: Librarians Outside the Library (2007)
    Spectrum Leadership Institute - Washington, D.C.
  • Tribal Library Advocacy Resources @ the American Library Association (2007)
    National Conference of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Expanding the Circle of Honoring Generations (2006)
    Sequoyah Research Center Symposium, - Little Rock, Arkansas
  • Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Indigenous Librarians (2006)
    American Library Association Annual Conference - New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Indigenous Librarians (2006)
    World Library and Information Congress, 72nd IFLA General Conference and Council - Seoul, Korea
  • Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Native Librarians (2006)
    Joint Conference of Librarians of Color - Dallas, Texas
  • Honoring Generations and Services With Indigenous Peoples (2005)
    International Indigenous Librarians' Forum - Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Native Librarians (2005)
    World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education - Hamilton, Aotearoa, New Zealand
  • Honoring Generations: Developing the Next Generation of Native Librarians (2005)
    Sequoyah Research Center Symposium - Little Rock, Arkansas