Can your public library sponsor an indigenous library in Ontario?
We have a number of First Nation libraries as members of FOPL. We’d like to have them all and create more libraries on reserves.
FOPL recently joined the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) and they have as one of their top lobbying issues the Truth and Reconciliation Report recommendations, which they’re putting the meat on now. Add to this the heavy emphasis on indigenous strategies in Ontario’s First Culture Strategy as well as the Ontario government’s First Nation Consultations going on now, FOPL wants to make sure we’re representing our Ontario libraries well and getting good levels of input from everyone while ensuring that we help to strengthen funding and support for First Nation libraries.
This is the year we need strength in numbers with the Public Library Funding Review! And the government has shown strong focus on culture and indigenous issues – and we can help!
Here’s our initiative. In the past we have had a number of libraries agree to sponsor First Nation Libraries for membership (it’s just 50 bucks and we send the sponsoring library the invoice but add the First Nation library as a full member) Your and your board can too!
Here’s a list of the Ministry’s list of FN libraries in Ontario that are not FOPL members.
Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Band No. 6 FN | Whitefish First Nation | 25 reserve road | ON | P0M2M0 |
Aundeck-Omni-Kaning FN | Little Current | P.O. Box 21 RR #1 | ON | P0P1K0 |
Beausoleil First Nation Public Library | Christian Island | 150 Mkade Kegwin MIIkan | ON | L9M0A9 |
Big Grassy FN | Morson | P.O. Box 453 | ON | P0W1J0 |
Bkejwanong FN | Wallaceburg | Walpole Island First Nation R.R. #3 | ON | N8A4K9 |
Chippewas of Georgina Island FN | Sutton West | Box N-13 R.R. #2 | ON | L0E1R0 |
Chippewas of Nawash FN | Wiarton | R.R. #5 | ON | N0H2T0 |
Chippewas of the Thames FN | Muncey | 320 Chippewa Road | ON | N0L1Y0 |
Curve Lake FN | Curve Lake,ON | 22 Winookeeda St. | ON | K0L1R0 |
Delaware FN | Thamesville | R.R. #3 | ON | N0P2K0 |
Dokis FN | Via Monetville | 930 Main Street Box 3 | ON | P0M2N1 |
Garden River FN | Garden River | 48 Syrette Lake Road | ON | P6A5K9 |
Henvey Inlet FN | Pickerel | 368 Pickerel River Road | ON | P0G1J0 |
Iskatewizaagegan No. 39 FN | Shoal Lake | Indian Bay road P.O. Box 5 | ON | P0X1E0 |
Mattagami FN | Gogama | P.O. Box 99 | ON | P0M1W0 |
Michipicoten FN | Wawa | 107 Hiawatha Drive P.O. Box 1 RR#1, Site 8 | ON | P0S1K0 |
Mississauga FN | Blind River | P.O. Box 1299 | ON | P0R1B0 |
Mississaugas of Scugog Island FN | Port Perry | 22600 Island Road | ON | L9L1B6 |
Mohawks of Akwesasne FN | Cornwall | P.O. Box 579 | ON | K6H5T3 |
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte FN | Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory | 13 Old York Road, c/o MBQ Admin. | ON | K0K1X0 |
Naotkamegwanning FN | Naotkamegwanning | General Delivery | ON | P0X1L0 |
New Credit FN | Hagersville | R.R. # 6 | ON | N0A1H0 |
Nipissing FN | Garden Village | 36 Semo Road | ON | P2B3K2 |
Ojibways of Onigaming FN | Nestor Falls | P.O. Box 509 | ON | P0X1K0 |
Ojibways of the Pic River FN | Heron Bay | P. O. Box 216 | ON | P0T1R0 |
Rainy River FN | Emo | Box 450 | ON | P0W1E0 |
Sachigo Lake FN | Sachigo Lake | General Delivery | ON | P0V2P0 |
Sagamok Anishnawbek FN | Massey | Box 610 | ON | P0P1P0 |
Seine River FN | Seine River FN | P.O. Box 129 | ON | P0W1H0 |
Serpent River FN | Cutler | 49 Village Road P.O. Box 16 | ON | P0P1B0 |
Shawanaga FN | Nobel | R.R. #1 | ON | P0G1G0 |
Sheshegwaning FN | Sheshegwaning | 1125 Sheshegwaning Road | ON | P0P1X0 |
Temagami FN | Bear Island | General Delivery | ON | P0H1C0 |
Thessalon FN | Thessalon | 40 Sugarbush Rd. R.R. #2 | ON | P0R1L0 |
Wahta Mohawk FN | Bala | Box 260 | ON | P0C1A0 |
Wasauksing FN | Parry Sound | P.O. Box 250 | ON | P2A2X4 |
Whitefish River FN | Birch Island | 52 Bay of Islands Road | ON | P0P1A0 |
With the emphasis on Truth and Reconciliation, the Ontario Culture Strategy initiatives and consultations, education issues, clean water and more, we’d like to offer sponsored memberships to FOPL members that covers the membership fee for FN Libraries in Ontario as part of their library’s T&R efforts – basically twin them as partners and build programs and funding as we lobby for the PLOG changes and more. We can then invest that fee in supporting activities to strengthen indigenous libraries.
There are just 36 of them that are not FOPL members (and this is almost always a fiscal issue). We think we can bring them all the to the table this way and help to increase the voice of indigenous libraries to the mix.
What do you think? Are you in? Is there a reserve library near you or can this fit in with your indigenous programs? Are you looking for ways to support the Truth & Reconciliation Report’s recommendations (20 page PDF: http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf).
I’m linking to FOPL’s recent analysis from the Ministry’s data collection project of the great work that First Nation libraries do in their communities. The FOPL Board authorized this report as a start to our continued support. [https://fopl.ca/news/first-nation-indigenous-libraries-statistical-analysis-and-peer-comparison/]
Lastly, we seem to be seeing a language change (again) with both Ontario and the Feds using “Indigenous” as the key word versus ‘First Nation’.
If you’d like to participate you can follow this process:
Contact me (Stephen Abram, executive director of FOPL) at sabram@fopl.ca or call 416-395-0746 and volunteer. Simple enough!
Let me know if you have a preferred indigenous community to sponsor. And then I’ll make it happen.
Some activities that may add meat to this initiative are having reciprocal visits between your libraries, opening up library card-holding privileges to local reserves (if they’re not already), offering reciprocal or co-planned programs from each of you at twinned libraries, offering virtual programs or special digital access to remote libraries or whatever your partnership activities and imaginations dream up.
Stephen Abram, executive director of FOPL
sabram@fopl.ca
416-395-0746