As part of the Learning Together: Reflections on the Academy and Reconciliation speaker series, this upcoming event on November 18 will highlight the role libraries can play as places of connection, cultural recognition, knowledge sharing, and reconciliation on campus.
Speakers will share examples of university initiatives that have fostered meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities through library spaces, partnership, and shared learning. Following their presentations, the speakers will take part in a panel discussion and open Q&A with event attendees.
Event Details
Sharing Spaces, Building Relationships – Campus Libraries and Indigenous Communities
Date and time: Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Format: Panel presentations and discussion, online via Zoom
Presentations
In 2023, a partnership between Trent University's First Peoples House of Learning and the Bata Library transformed the library atrium into a site of Indigenous knowledge sharing through the construction of a traditional birch bark canoe. Guided by Métis canoe builders, Alex and Marcel Labelle, hundreds of students, staff, faculty, and community members participated in the project, learning about the history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance of canoe building. The project brought Indigenous knowledge systems into the heart of the library through hands-on, community-based learning. This presentation will share the origins of the partnership, the impact on the campus community, and the unique roles that libraries can play as spaces of connection, relationship, and reconciliation.
Speakers: Emily Tufts, University Librarian, and Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, Director of First Peoples House of Learning
In spring 2024, Lakehead University Library’s Northern Studies Resource Centre underwent a renaming ceremony with Lakehead’s Indigenous Elders Council and was gifted the name Nanda Gikendan Gamik, meaning “Seek to Know, Seek to Learn Place.” Rich in Indigenous history, language, and cultural material, this warm and welcoming space reflects the library’s multi-year effort and ongoing commitment to addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. This presentation will share the transformation of the Northern Studies Resource Centre into the Indigenous Resource and Cultural Centre.
Speakers: Monica Gibbons, Head, Access Services and Outreach, and Gisella Scalese, Interim University Librarian
This session will focus on the steps needed to successfully Indigenize library spaces, including linking the work through relationships first and foremost, listening through focus groups, unpacking what was heard and learning how to “translate” the learning onto spaces – all while honouring the gifts of knowledge generously given – and then how to launch the beautiful space created together with respect and honour for those who have helped along the way.
Speaker: Karen Pillon, Associate University Librarian (University of Windsor)
About the Speaker Series
The Learning Together: Reflections on the Academy and Reconciliation speaker series aims to advance understanding and increase awareness of truth and reconciliation efforts and initiatives in the academic community. Presented by the OCUL Truth and Reconciliation Committee, the series has previously featured talks by Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek, Dr. Kevin Lamoureux, and Lorisia MacLeod.
For More Information
If you encounter issues registering, require an alternate registration format, or have questions about the speaker series, please email ocul@ocul.on.ca.