103nd chat, Thursday April 12 2018: tribal libraries
8:30 am Pacific / 9:30 am Mountain / 10:30 am Central / 11:30 am Eastern

Storify (pdf, html) by @violetbfox

A special event in partnership with ALA’s Washington Office, this chat will take place concurrently with the Broadband Connectivity in Tribal and Rural Communities panel in Washington DC, moderated by Elayne Silversmith.

Terms and organizations to know:

• ATALM (Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums) @tribalalm:  non-profit, Native-led organization that provides culturally relevant training and services to the nation’s 519 tribal libraries, archives, and museums. ATALM was established in 2010 with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
• E-rate: the nickname for the Federal Communications Commission’s universal service Schools and Libraries Program, which provides discounts to help eligible schools and libraries in the United States obtain affordable telecommunications and internet access
• Tribal Connect Act: bill introduced in December 2017 that aims to improve broadband connectivity in Indian Country by increasing access to E-rate program #TribalConnect

Suggested resources:

• Heinrich, Heller Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Increase High-Speed Internet Access In Indian Country. Martin Heinrich’s Senatorial website, December 8 2017
• Tribes lead the way for faster internet access in New Mexico. High Country News, April 6 2018.
• Bringing Broadband to Tribal Lands. American Libraries, December 12 2017.

Additional resources:

• Hannah Buckland. Decolonizing Catalogs in Tribal College Libraries, May 2017 (30-minute video)
• ATALM E-rate brief (pdf) [describes challenges to tribal libraries receiving E-rate benefits]