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Librarianship.ca > Events > 2017 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture

2017 Dalhousie-Horrocks National Leadership Lecture

Date

January 23, 2017 16:00 - 18:00

Location

Halifax

Details

Beyond Colonialism? Libraries for a Canada We Don’t Yet Know

Abstract: Reconciliation. Relationships. Restitution. All three are on the minds of public institutions following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action. But where and how to begin? As institutions that support learning, libraries are uniquely suited to engage with—and model—responsible practices that take direction from Indigenous peoples, both locally and nationally. A leader in the area of library services with Indigenous peoples, Monique Woroniak will consider how libraries can best position themselves to be relevant for a country reconsidering its foundations.

Biography: A SIM grad (MLIS ’08) and a public librarian, Monique Woroniak writes and is a frequent presenter in the areas of community development and anti-racist approaches to service delivery—specifically, the ways organizations can responsibly support and learn from Indigenous voices. She has played a central role in advancing Indigenous–focused services at Winnipeg Public Library. Recently, she was nominated to serve on the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of the Canadian Federation of Library Associations.

In 2015 Monique co-founded groundworkforchange.org, a website designed to educate non-Indigenous peoples about Indigenous-related topics and help build relationships rooted in solidarity and justice. The site has been shared widely across the country.

In 2016 she received the Honouring Our Allies Award from the Aboriginal Circle of Educators for both her work in libraries and in the community. She is a recipient of a Manitoba Library Service Award for her work on the Manitoba Library Association’s Prison Libraries Committee and is a front-line volunteer providing service at the Provincial Remand Centre in Winnipeg.

Her work on groundworkforchange.org and her thoughts on the challenges and potential of ally relationships were featured nationally on the CBC Radio program Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild. In 2016 she received a CBC Manitoba Future 40 Award that recognized her as one of “the province’s next generation of leaders, builders, and change-makers under the age of 40.”