Meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge

This article is part of an ongoing series of articles on cultural awareness in KM.

The importance of indigenous knowledge has been explored in depth in the RealKM Magazine article series “The case for indigenous knowledge systems and knowledge sovereignty”. I’ve also written about how the National Museum of Brazil fire highlights a priority need for the digital preservation of indigenous knowledge.

Indigenous knowledge was also the focus of a recent forum hosted by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) in partnership with Information Innovation @ UTS. The forum was one of a series of special events intended to connect ALIA members with leaders and influencers in the library and GLAMR (gallery, library, museum, archive and records) sector.

The video from the forum can be viewed above, or at the direct link. Information Innovation @ UTS apologises that the audio may be hard to hear in parts of the video, but asks that you persevere.

Panelists

The forum panelists are:

• Kirsten Thorpe: Professional archivist who has led the development of protocols, policies, and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in libraries and archives in Australia.

• Shannon Foster: Sydney-based D’harawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper and artist who has been teaching her family’s stories for over twenty years to a range of audiences in learning institutions.

• Michael Gonzalez: University Librarian, UTS Library.

• Robert Knight: Vice-President (President-elect), ALIA.

Further information

The following additional resource links have been provided by Information Innovation @ UTS:

• University of Sydney Cultural Competence – Aboriginal Sydney online course

• UTS Aboriginal Sydney Now subject

• Indigenous Archives Collective

• Indigenous Spaces in Library Places online toolkit

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Archive (ATSIDA)

Also published on Medium.