“Data” and Indigenous Studies: Entry Points for Academic Libraries

Recorded on 12/16/2025

Posted in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA), Library Technology and IT

Explore the intersections and applications of library data methodologies and Indigenous-focused knowledge organization.

Access the presentation slides.

Summary:

How can academic libraries navigate the meeting point between “data” and Indigenous studies, each an area with distinct priorities, methodologies, and cultural contexts? The relationship between the two is not straightforward: practices of data collection, organization, and sharing have often reflected colonial frameworks, privileging standardization and openness over community-specific values such as sovereignty, consent, and cultural protocols. At the same time, Indigenous studies emphasize the priority of protection, representation, and governance of Indigenous knowledges, which can clash with dominant approaches to research data and metadata.

For many librarians, this intersection may be unfamiliar, yet it presents critical opportunities to support research, teaching, and community engagement in respectful and innovative ways. In this webinar, “data” is understood broadly to include research data, cultural heritage collections, and the metadata systems that structure access to knowledge. When libraries treat data as neutral information, they risk erasing the human stories it represents. Recognizing data as lived experience helps explain why conventional practices often conflict with Indigenous priorities.

Drawing from a Canadian context with broader applicability, the session will provide foundational background on how the tools, practices, and methodologies developed and used by librarians can be applied to Indigenous-focused research and knowledge organization. Participants will explore the topic from three complementary perspectives:

• Cataloging and metadata: approaches to integrating Indigenous world views and community-specific protocols into data description and discovery.
• Non-Indigenous–focused roles: strategies for contributing meaningfully to ethical data practices, even when Indigenous studies are not a primary responsibility
• Indigenous-focused roles: considerations for leading projects that respect Indigenous sovereignty, community priorities, and cultural context

By the end of this presentation, attendees will gain an entry point into the subject, practical examples for implementation, and strategies for fostering collaboration between library services, Indigenous communities, and research teams. This is an opportunity to broaden professional capacity and strengthen culturally responsive data practices.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key concepts, ethical considerations, and cultural protocols at the intersection of data science and Indigenous studies.
• Apply strategies for incorporating Indigenous perspectives and priorities into cataloguing, metadata, and data stewardship practices.
• Evaluate opportunities for collaboration between library services, research teams, and Indigenous communities in support of culturally responsive data initiatives.

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Speakers:

• Kaia MacLeod

  Indigenous Cataloguing LibrarianUniversity of Calgary

  Kaia MacLeod, a member of the James Smith Cree Nation, is the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Cataloguing Librarian. She has received a bachelor of arts majoring in film studies, which she calls a degree in movie watching, as well as a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta. In her tenure-track position at the University of Calgary, she works on various projects, including giving art tours, coding diverse YA books, and reading up on the profession. Her interests in librarianship include LIS education, book reviews, and subject headings.

• Rachel Chong

  Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison LibrarianKwantlen Polytechnic University

  Rachel Chong is a Métis citizen through her maternal grandfather, originally from St. Boniface Manitoba. She currently works at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Surrey, British Columbia) as the Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison Librarian on the unceded traditional and ancestral First Nations territories of the Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem; and the lands of the Kwantlen First Nation which gifted it’s name to Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Rachel has worked on a number of projects including the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection, which features Indigenous authors organized via a localized Brian Deer Classification system. She also wrote the Indigenous Information Literacy Press Book open education resource to support students and faculty learning about Indigenous topics. In her free time, Rachel enjoys beading, canning, and gardening.

• Bronte Chiang

  Digital Literacy LibrarianUniversity of Calgary

  Bronte Chiang is the Digital Literacy Librarian at the University of Calgary, with work centered on fostering responsible, reflective engagement with knowledge through technology stewardship. She holds an MLIS with a First Nation Curriculum Concentration focus from the University of British Columbia, and a BA in political science from the University of Montana. In her current position, she is the chair of the University of Calgary’s Libraries & Cultural Resources Indigenous Strategies Working Group, a member of the COPPUL Indigenous Knowledges Standing Committee, and subject liaison librarian to the Faculty of Science.

All Choice webinars offer Zoom’s auto-generated AI captioning. If you have any questions, please contact: scofer@ala.org.

This webinar will be recorded. All registrants should receive a follow-up email with a link to the recording. Webinar recordings are also available on Choice’s YouTube channel.

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