Shifting Established Mindsets and Praxis in Libraries: Five Insights for Making Non-Western Knowledge Digitally Accessible through Community Engagement

Abstract

This paper is a reflection on the challenges encountered and decisions made as part of a multi-year community-based action research project to digitally curate a living oral tradition. At the core of this initiative was an exploration of the ways academic librarians in Canada can leverage existing library services and systems and engage with the community to improve accessibility of non-Western knowledge materials. The author collaborated with several members of the Ismaili community across western Canada to find ways to digitally curate their revered oral tradition of ginans (gnostic and devotional hymns) in a culturally respectful and responsible way. The purpose of this article is to share five insights gained during the course of this exploration: 1) value relationships over tasks; 2) accept community engagement as a continuum; 3) learn to appreciate rather than appropriate materials; 4) consider oral sources to be as important as textual ones; and 5) accept community materials as credible knowledge resources.