This page provides a curated list of resources to assist PCC members in developing a deeper awareness of Indigenous peoples and the critical issues related to Indigenous perspectives within metadata contexts.

For resources specifically related to land acknowledgment statements, please refer to our dedicated Land Acknowledgement Resources page.

While this list is not comprehensive or exhaustive, it offers valuable insights and tools for reflection and action. We encourage members to explore further, seek out additional materials, and contribute suggestions to enhance this collection.

• Latin American and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas (LAIPA) SACO Funnel: SACO Funnel project that provides a mechanism for proposing the creation of new subject headings and the changing or updating of old subject headings relating to Latin America and to the experience of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

• Best Practices in Authority Work Relating to Indigenous Nations in the U.S.: 2023 document from the LAIPA SACO Funnel, providing guidance to US-based settlers and other non-Indigenous people on authority work relating to Indigenous nations in the U.S., with an emphasis on sustained relationship building in ensuring library terminology respects Indigenous peoples' autonomy in naming practices.

• Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA): Organization of Indigenous researchers, data practitioners, and policy activists formed in 2019 to develop frameworks, tools, and processes to help guide the practice of Indigenous Data Sovereignty around the globe, including hosting the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance in multiple languages.

• Local Contexts: A global initiative that supports Indigenous communities with tools that attribute cultural authority of heritage and data. Local Contexts provides a set of multilingual labels and notices to indicate conditions for access and use of both traditional knowledge in digital contexts, and biocultural collections and data.

• Guidelines on Working with Indigenous Partners and Information: List of eight existing guidelines for visual resource workers, developed by Devon Murphy in 2019 as Getty Vocabulary Intern at the Getty Research Institute, such as the Society of American Archivists’ Protocols for Native American Archival Materials and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums Digital Stewardship Curriculum. 

• Creating subject headings for Indigenous topics: a culturally respectful guide: 2023 document by Richard Sapon-White, Pamela Louderback, and Sara Levinson, designed to facilitate the work of catalogers creating subject headings for Indigenous topics.

• National Indigenous Knowledge and Language Alliance/Alliance nationale des connaissances et des langues autochtones (NIKLA-ANCLA): A Canadian Indigenous (First Nations, Métis & Inuit) alliance to bring together cross-disciplinary professionals, para-professionals, Indigenous knowledge keepers and Indigenous grass-roots community and organizations to address matters of importance around Indigenous ways of knowing, knowledges, language and cultural memory/heritage. Their metadata-related initiatives include the First Nations, Métis, Inuit Indigenous Ontology (FNMIIO), and the Respectful Terminology project.

• Indigenous Subject Headings at the Greater Victoria Public Library: (.pdf download) Ongoing project to replace Library of Congress and Canadian subject headings related to Indigenous peoples with locally developed interim Indigenous subject headings using more current terminology.

• X̱wi7x̱wa Library. Indigenous Knowledge Organization: Overview of the library’s use of a locally developed classification scheme and subject heading system to organize material in its collection with links to additional resources.

• Implementing Reparative Description for Indigenous Collections: An hour-long 2021 webinar hosted by the Society of American Archivists, Native American Archives Section. Panelists defined reparative description, described its practice and limitations, and shared information about efforts in multiple institutions, including the Menominee Tribal Archives and the National Museum of the American Indian Culture Thesaurus.

• Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance: A group that develops research, policy, and practice innovations for Indigenous data sovereignty.