This week began our TLAM summer class. There are six of us within the class who have been completing readings, discussions, and projects relating to many topics including indigenous perspectives, educational theory, and sovereignty alongside our leaders, Michele Besant and Omar Poler. This weekend we will strengthen our learning through traveling in pairs to spend two weeks working with tribal librarians and archivists throughout Wisconsin.
It’s difficult to summarize the extensive amount of information we’ve covered within this week of classes; therefore, I’ve chosen to focus in on the importance of humility. Omar has demonstrated the importance of this quality within his own words and actions. Furthermore, humility has been a focus within two of our most recent readings (full citations are included at the end of this post).
Roosevelt R. Thomas Jr. once said, “The goal of managing diversity is to develop our capacity to accept, incorporate, and empower the diverse human talents of the most diverse nation on Earth. It’s our reality. We need to make it our strength.” If we (as future information professionals) are to be successful, we need to be able to embrace cultural humility through a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation, critique, and addressing the power issues within our country. The TLAM class is one way students are able to begin, continue, and develop their commitment to cultural humility.
Through past experiences, I know I learn more through experiences and working together with people different from myself than I ever can from a reading or presentation. Therefore, I’m excited to spend the next two weeks working and living at Lac Courte Oreilles. My own cultural humility will be expanded through conversations, journaling, and working with the tribal librarian.
Finally, I’d like to take a few minutes to thank the man behind this course, Omar Poler. Without him, the School of Library and Information Studies here at UW-Madison would be a much different, much less culturally-competent place. I have greatly enjoyed having a course with you as you truly care about the work you are doing and are focused on bringing indigenous perspectives into LIS education. For this, I am truly grateful. Miigwech, Omar!
-Katelyn Martens
Overall, P. M. (April 01, 2009). Cultural Competence: A Conceptual Framework for Library and Information Science Professionals. The Library Quarterly, 79, 2, 175-204.
Tervalon, M., & Murray-García. J. (January 01, 1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9, 2, 117-25.