Indigenizing the University of Manitoba Libraries' Art Collection

Art libraries within academic institutions and museums globally continue to play a vital role in advancing the work of decolonization and Indigenization across library spaces, collections, and information cataloguing practices. This session highlights initiatives that contribute meaningfully to the ongoing journey toward reconciliation, with case studies spanning Canada and Norway. Presentations will examine the Indigenous art purchasing program at the University of Manitoba, including the work of an artist whose pieces are now prominently featured within the library; the Salish Weave Teaching Collection integrated into the Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre at Simon Fraser University Library in Burnaby; and the decolonizing strategies undertaken by librarians at the Nasjonalmuseet (National Museum) in Oslo. Together, these projects reflect a growing commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive library practices and the reimagining of institutional relationships with Indigenous knowledge systems