Deadly Directions Conference
1-3 August 2005-08-04
Protocols Workshop
Informal record of discussion
What is the Council of Australian State Libraries (CASL) position in
terms of the Protocols?
CASL are supportive of the Protocols. They are engaged with the
issues and developing a national policy framework. They have
legislative responsibility to bring the issues to the attention of
library boards and councils and to get support for effective sustained
action.
ATSILIRN is important in terms of providing legitimacy to professional
and Indigenous support. ATSILIRN owns the copyright on the Protocols.
One of the constraints of ATSILIRN is that it is a group of volunteers
and they need strong institutional support. National/state
institutions have a responsibility to provide that support.
How can we communicate to publishers what needs to be considered when
publishing Indigenous information, particularly in light of electronic
publishing?
There is very little to restrict or guide publishers at an
international level. Some work happening in Australian, NZ, US and
Canada. It is therefore important to use the International Federation
of Library Associations (IFLA) as a space to get international
discussion going. The International Indigenous Librarians Forum is
another important group doing work in this area. There needs to be
assistance to bring the International Indigenous Librarians Forum
together with organisations like ATSILIRN/ALIA. There needs to be a
thought out position before a serious approach is made to the
publishing industry, particularly if approaching it on an
international basis.
A lot of the issues are the same things – respect, engagement, taking
a broad view. Another issue of importance is to publish the
‘Indigenous view’; not just the ‘outsiders’ or colonial view looking
in. A contemporary viewpoint is also important.
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Privacy versus freedom of access to information
There is conflict between the Indigenous community’s view of privacy
and sensitivity of information and the Anglo-American view of the
right to information. It is important that it is understood how a lot
of this documentary evidence was collected – ie in a colonial
environment, and a great deal of the information should never have
been brought into existence. The dominant society does not have the
right to the information. Now that the information is documented, the
Indigenous community has the right to control how that information is
accessed. It may be that there is a need to quarantine Indigenous
material away from the rest of the collection.
It was noted that there have been projects where material has had to
be withdrawn or quarantined because there’d been no community
consultation. Even though there are other sites where this
information is available, as information professionals it is our role
to ensure that the community has the opportunity to have a say in how
material is used.
There are concerns that restrictions will limit access to Indigenous
people as well. Care must be taken to consider all aspects of the
issue and not become overly protective.
Is there a way for the Protocols to be developed so that there is a
‘small organisation’ version that can be adapted for individual
institutional use?
The Protocols should be seen as guidelines, not rules. They map out a
landscape of issues that can be engaged with in professional work.
Pathways have to be contextualised in terms of the individual
organisation. Some of the material may be relevant only to the
national or state organisations. Adopt the spirit but translate them
into a localised statement or policy appropriate to the organisation.
Can we include a preamble that people could sign onto or adopt?
Yes, it would be possible to list organisations that have formally
adopted. This would mean they are adopting the spirit of the protocols
in a more formal, valid way. Doing this may assist with things like
getting senior management to see the importance of it; or when
researchers say we are the only organisation that limits access to
information.
Adopting the Protocols
Canberra University Library recently acknowledged and formally adopted
the Protocols and are now in the process of operationalising. They
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came up against numerous challenges. They uncovered issues such as
Indigenous history located in the ‘literature’ section of the library.
They have initiated staff training programs; they are liaising with
the Indigenous centre so that students get a good image of the library
and are having success in this area. It is a process of gradually
adopting and changing practices.
We need a cut down version and also need to see cut down versions of
other smaller organisations. Are there models of how others have
‘done it’? And in terms of the publishing v restricting… young people
need to see faces and hear stories. It is important that we don’t
stop them hearing Indigenous stories.
We can provide links to others websites for methods of good
practice/information sharing; evidence based standards.
How do we get Indigenous people into the Library?
Indigenous people enjoy talking to Indigenous workers. We attempt to
make them lifelong learners, enable them. We do things like make them
look up at the ceiling and understand where they are in the physical
building and they are then less intimidated in the room.
You need to collect as much local material as you can. Indigenous
people need to be easily able to go to their own knowledge
collections.
Have a relationship with your community. Put artworks on the walls.
Doing things like this will help relationships blossom.
It is important for Indigenous people to see other Indigenous faces
when they come into the library environment.
It was noted that at UTS, a Reconciliation Space was developed in the
Library in consultation with the Indigenous community. On the day of
the launch, the Indigenous students were waiting outside because they
felt they needed to gain ‘permission’ to come in. Issues such as this
need to be considered.
It was noted that at Charles Darwin University they initially had
little success encouraging Indigenous students to use the university
library. Library staff spent time going to where the Indigenous
students spent their time and after a period, the Indigenous students
felt comfortable coming to the Library.
Library and information professionals are not reaching as many
Indigenous clients as we could or should because we are not going out
to the communities.
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Governance
Often the structure and governance of an organisation is dictated by
an Act, and the Boards of many of these organisations don’t have
Indigenous representation. A lot of the time people say ‘this is out
of our hands’, but information professionals can influence the
nominations that go forward to the people that make the appointments
and can also try to influence the structures of boards.
Employment
Is it important to be able to work with another Indigenous person
within an institution?
From personal experience, it is good to have someone to share issues
with. Having one man and one woman also helped with dealing with the
community. If it is not possible to establish two roles, a mentor or
other support person with an understanding of the issues is valuable
in terms of sustaining the Indigenous employee.
Organisations can and should work together on employment strategies.
Care must be taken to ensure that designated positions do not become
identified with designated work. People are ‘information
professionals’ not just an Indigenous person and they have a right to
a variety of professional and career development experiences.
There is a need to work with ALIA and library educators to promote
positive images to Indigenous people. Information roles need to be
promoted as fulfilling careers, which are important to the community.
Libraries are starting to look at who they are employing – and
recognising that is not just library qualifications that are
important. It is more important to get bright young people and train
them through library graduate programs. There is a wealth of
information in employing people from different sectors and with
different skills and knowledge backgrounds.
Inverell Council employed 2 young library trainees. They are being
mentored by library staff. Young people are now working in the
library and promoting it to other young people in the community. The
hardest thing was going through the process of identifying a specific
position. There was nobody we could talk to about how to do it.
There was no information about what other local libraries had done to
recruit Indigenous staff members, or if there were any Indigenous
staff at local libraries.
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We need concrete ideas about how to bring the Indigenous perspective
into the curriculum in the institutions where library skills are being
taught.
The way advertisements are worded can be part of the problem.
to promote library jobs to Indigenous communities in terms of
‘Managing your own cultural heritage’.
We need
ALIA are currently looking at preparing information for the Board
about how to get a new generation into the information professions.
They are working with the education department to get year 10 students
to spend work experience weeks working in information organisations.
They are looking at the whole range of things you can do in a library…
not just the traditional view of the library.
It was agreed that ATSILIRN and ALIA would continue to discuss
options.
There is a need to be more proactive – Indigenous students would be
more influenced by the people who work in the profession. It is not
seen as ‘legitimate’ coming from non-Indigenous people.
It is possible to have a school based trainee though the Department of
Education, ie year 11 and 12 students can do business services etc and
can have a job in an organisation. This provides insights into how 16
year olds think about the library. It is a great way of getting
information and promoting the library. The students are also on their
way to getting their library qualification.
It was agreed that ALIA should promote this idea to the profession.
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