Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Land Acknowledgement
UBC Okanagan Library’s EDI Committee acknowledges that the land on which this work occurs is the unceded, ancestral, and currently occupied territory of the Syilx Okanagan Peoples.
As a group, we recognize that we have continuous work to do in learning, unlearning, reflecting, and taking action towards decolonization, reconciliation, and the centring and celebrating of Indigenous Knowledges, Peoples, and Leadership.
Committee Statement
We recognize and acknowledge the current and historical role that academic libraries have played in a system that oppresses 2SLGBTQIA+, BIPOC and other marginalized folks.
Our committee supports the UBC Okanagan Library in developing an understanding, knowledge, and structure of practice that is focused on equity, diversity and inclusion, explicitly positioning anti-racist, anti-ableist, de-colonization and Indigenization, and 2SLGBTQIA+ projects and supports at the forefront of what we do.
The work of the UBC Okanagan Library Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee is guided by UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan and Indigenous Strategic Plan.
Membership
Committee membership is composed of two representatives from each library employee group, including two Indigenous Strategic Plan and Inclusion Action Plan student interns. The student interns work in collaboration with library employees, campus partners, and each other, to support, develop, and lead projects that will enact the goals of the UBC Inclusion Action Plan and the Indigenous Strategic Plan.
Membership also includes the Equity Facilitator from the Equity and Inclusion Office, who is invited to participate as an ex-officio member, and representation from the Disability Resource Centre.
Sub-committees
Indigenous Strategic Plan Implementation Sub-committee
Goal: Review the Indigenous Strategic Plan and determine UBC Okanagan Library’s response and actions.
Learning, Research and Engagement Sub-committee
Goal: Collect and review student perspectives on access to and inclusivity of UBC Okanagan Library programs, services, collections and spaces to support teaching and learning in the library.
Recruitment, Retention and Success Sub-committee
Goal: Review recommendations regarding on-boarding and needs for retention and success; investigate needs for recruiting, retaining and supporting Black students, staff and faculty.
Commitments to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
UBC Okanagan Library acknowledges our responsibility in enacting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action. With guidance from the CFLA-FCAB Truth & Reconciliation Committee Report & Recommendations, the Indigenous Strategic Plan Implementation Sub-Committee has reviewed the TRC Calls to Action and identified the below calls that we can take action on. We acknowledge that this work is ongoing and the Sub-Committee will continue to consult and review progress on achieving these actions, as well as review the TRC as a whole to continue this work and identify new opportunities.
Call to Action 16:
We call upon post-secondary institutions to create university and college degree and diploma programs in Aboriginal languages.
What UBC Okanagan Library is doing:
- Guided by the Memorandum of Understanding with the En’owkin Centre, creating a digital repository of language resources broadly in accordance with The First Nations Principles of OCAP (ownership, control, access, possession) to support the Bachelor of Nsyilxcən Language Fluency Program
- Developing a robust local Indigenous languages collection with specific emphasis on Interior Salish languages, including Nsyilxcən, Nɬeʔkepmxcín, and Secwepemctsín, within UBC Okanagan Special Collections and Archives and the general circulating collection
Call to Action 43:
We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as the framework for reconciliation.
Call to Action 44:
We call upon the Government of Canada to develop a national action plan, strategies, and other concrete measures to achieve the goals of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
What UBC Okanagan Library is doing:
- Creating a collective reading plan of Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indiegnous Peoples (UNDRIP) in conjunction with the implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan
- Developed a research guide on UNDRIP in collaboration with Dr. Margo Tamez
- UBC Okanagan Library’s Indigenous Strategic Plan Implementation Sub-Committee is reviewing UNDRIP to identify specific articles that the Library and its employees can take action on and support the university in its work to achieve the goals of UNDRIP
Call to Action 57:
We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments to provide education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
What UBC Okanagan Library is doing:
- Developing a continuing education program for library employees that supports the development of foundational knowledge related to the Indigenous Peoples of the Okanagan, UBC Okanagan’s TRC Declarations, Land Acknowledgements, and details about local residential schools and their relationship to larger reconciliation efforts. This continuing education program will promote reflection on personal and institutional responsibilities toward reconciliation, and emphasize the role of academic libraries in this work.
Call to Action 62:
We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:
ii. Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
What UBC Okanagan Library is doing:
- Developing a list of resources to support the active, intentional, and respectful integration of Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into all forms of library instruction, such as reference, classroom instruction, learning object creation, and workshops.
Contact us
Your feedback
Do you have feedback on inclusivity at UBC Okanagan Library or ideas about how we can be more inclusive?
Let us know
Request an item
We’re always looking to develop our library collection. If you are looking for a book, film or other resource that is missing from our collections, Let us know.
MAKE A REQUEST
Have questions, comments or concerns about the EDI Committee?
Contact the committee co-chairs: Angela Norkum-Porubanec and Jane Jun.