Indigenous Works

Through ongoing engagement with Indigenous community members and library representatives we have begun to explore pathways to participation and project possibilities with our initial first project based on a collection of periodicals curated by the COPPUL Indigenous Historical Periodicals Working Group responsible for developing this dataset of publications held across Canadian libraries.

This initial project aims to establish the foundations for future shared print initiatives, focusing on the temporary stewardship of Indigenous materials and setting the stage for expanding our work to include projects around Canadian Indigenous Publishers and Organizations (a list curated by Jillian Metchooyeah, Red Deer Public Library).

Indigenous Works Working Group, northnord-indigenous-works@coppul.ca

Indigenous Works Metadata Subgroup, indigenous-works-subgroup@coppul.ca

Statement of Intention

Along with a Land Acknowledgement, this statement of intention outlines our commitment to engagement, listening and learning, and collaboration. Our intention with this shared print program is to prioritize and build upon relationships with our partners first. Without our project partners and our relationships current and future, we would not be able to conduct our work. We commit for this project to be a discussion, a call for collaboration, a chance to rethink the colonial structures embedded within Shared Print practices to date. Our ideas of how this work might be done will evolve based on what we hear from our partners and the communities we hope to work with. Learning about how we can work collaboratively is our first priority as we listen to new ideas around access and stewardship for shared print.

Position Statement on Ethical Considerations for the Indigenous Historical Periodical Dataset Project, January 8, 2026