Abi Whitney

she/her

Education: Bachelor of Arts in English, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish (May 2024)

Mentor: Lisa Tatonetti, Ph.D.

McNair Project: Arc of Indigenous Librarianship (2023)

This project focuses on the current challenges and possibilities in Indigenous librarianship, as well as the question of data sovereignty that Indigenous people hold over cultural heritage and information in relation to libraries and archives. I compiled and analyzed various perspectives from seven Indigenous librarians on the state of the field of Indigenous librarianship and areas in which it needs to evolve to better support and honor Indigenous peoples by conducting interviews. My research addressed the important historical background of the field of Indigenous librarianship, some of the major challenges the field faces, along with key concerns and possibilities for the future of the field. Results from the interviews showed that problems such as cultural miscommunication, the mishandling of Indigenous data, and gaps in collections could be greatly improved upon if more Native people were in the field. To truly uphold Indigenous data sovereignty, institutions of education, research, and systems of organization must understand Indigenous ways of knowing, especially the importance of relationality when dealing with data. The context behind the data is just as important as the data itself when figuring out how to properly and respectfully preserve, store, and provide access to it. The field of Indigenous librarianship will continue to grow as more Indigenous practitioners and knowledge join the work. As the first land grant institution in the United States, Kansas State University can better uphold Indigenous research methods through approaches such as a more informed Institutional Review Board.