Sno-Isle Libraries and Mountlake Terrace DEI commissioners discuss Native American Heritage Month programming and collections

Sno-Isle Libraries staff told the Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission they are preparing programming and collection work for Native American Heritage Month and want local input on speakers, displays and compensated engagements.

"Our library printed out 68,889 print jobs last year. 16,927 people logged into the computers with an average session of 39 minutes at a time," said Kristen Pito, the manager at the Mountlake Terrace Library, describing the branch's reach and resources.

Pito said the library has meeting rooms that can hold community events (a larger room with up to 75 chairs and a smaller room for 15 to 25 people), the ability to circulate hotspots and Chromebooks, and a willingness to pay presenters. The library circulated an initial packet of possible adult programs and invited the commission and parent committee to recommend presenters or local artists.

Program options Pito described include a local "on-voice" speakers series (individuals such as John Holliday and Aaron Whitefoot were named as possible presenters in the packet), a screening of the documentary Tribal Justice (public-performance rights available), and a local-mural or artist presentation by nearby creators. The library also said it had previously helped produce community events including Juneteenth and wanted to collaborate on Indigenous Peoples' Day and other commemorations.

Collection and classification work also came up. Commissioners and parents urged the library to buy more contemporary indigenous-authored books and to correct how materials are classified in Dewey categories so indigenous works are not routinely filed under "folklore" or relegated to religion sections. Pito said staff will consult collection-services librarians and invited a recommended titles list from the parent committee.

The group discussed low-budget, longitudinal approaches to cultural recognition: rotating art displays, school partnerships for student-created art, and small seasonal events rather than concentrating activity only in November. One parent noted the library helped raise about $7,000 to buy indigenous-author books for Edmonds district schools.

Ending: The library asked interested presenters and artists to contact staff by August to make November programming feasible; the library asked the commission and parent committee to pass recommended book lists and local speaker names to collection staff for purchase and scheduling.