ABSTRACT
The University of Alberta’s institutional strategic plan, For the Public Good, articulates the values of diversity, inclusivity, and equity across and among Canadian people, campuses, and academic disciplines. Working to ensure that library resources and services are respectful and inclusive, and provide a welcoming and respectful environment for the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals within our campus and local communities, has been a longstanding commitment of the University of Alberta Library. Initiatives we have undertaken include partnering with First Nations’ colleges in Alberta on a shared integrated library system and web portal, collaborating with the University’s School of Library and Information Studies on the Indigenous Internship program, initiating the Decolonizing Description project to revise our descriptive practices in consultation with local communities, and undertaking a student engagement/embedded librarian project with First Peoples’ House on campus. A recently formed working group will provide an overarching framework for these and similar initiatives going forward. In this chapter, the authors will describe the various initiatives, the organizational strategy behind them, and how they are helping us to incorporate “diversity ideas, ideals, and considerations … by design.”
