Instruction and research consultation
Due to the array of resources found within the ASU Library system, Labriola librarians are able to conduct culturally appropriate overviews of library resources in a manner that takes into account the colonization of information and the decolonization of it. This can be seen in their instructional sessions or one-on-one research consultations.
Depending on the type of resources required, these exchanges allow students to be introduced to online scholarly articles found in databases, or non-circulating primary resources found in our Distinctive Collection and archival manuscript collections. In all research engagements, Labriola Librarians link key resources that holistically address the research topic in order to have a critical conversation about the role of research within it.
Culturally appropriate advanced database searching
The Labriola Center informs students at all levels about the importance of incorporating advanced database searching skill sets and search strategies within their research. This is mainly because it takes into account Euro-centric library indexing in order to produce decolonial database search strings that maximize retrieval of Indigenous information held in databases. Labriola Librarians inform students that they must consider how Non-Native catalogers index Indigenous information with Pan-Native identifiers (American Indian, Native American, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, Aboriginal) and Tribal-specific identifiers (Pima, Papago, Navajo, Apache) when conducting research. Decolonized advanced database skillsets are crucial for Native students in all disciplines since Indigenous peoples are largely indexed in a colonial manner that relegates us to inaccurate subject headings, such as: Indians of North America.
Indigenous Community-Driven Archives
With its emphasis on unsettling colonial documentation of underrepresented communities, the Labriola Center has indigenized Community-Driven Archives (CDA) theory and praxis in order to engage Indigenous Peoples on the power of archives. Adopted in 2019, the Labriola Center has been able to tailor it for archival engagements with Arizona tribes. Since that time, the Labriola Center has facilitated workshops that provide archival literacy for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Pascua Yaqui Community of Guadalupe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Hia-Ced O’odham Tribe, and Tohono O’odham Nation. Workshops consist of a presentation that centers the archives from Indigenous perspectives, an overview of archival processes such as appraisal, arrangement, description, and physical, photo analysis exercises, and an overview on how to scan archival material and conduct an oral history interview. Labriola staff offers free consultation services about attendee’s archival material and can scan material as time permits. Each person receives a free “Archives Starter Kit” that contains preservation information and archival supplies (acid-free box, folders, mylar and gloves).