What are the issues in current Australian libraries?
Current library collections across Australia, and including our most prominent state-run libraries, are filled primarily with content that reflects the colonisation and colonial perspectives of history. Limited resources in historical formats, and to a lesser extent fiction resources exist.
Many texts sitting on the shelves of libraries carry in them factual inaccuracies or misrepresentations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ histories and cultures (Thorpe & Byrne, 2016). This is mainly because books written about First Nations peoples do not contain First Nations voices but rather western voices (Queensland Studies Authority, 2007).
Why is decolonised school library a good thing?
Beyond simply reflecting the longest living culture in the world, the collections in school libraries should reflect their readers (ASLA, 2018). Literature that reflects the readers provides an authentic voice to connect with and learn from. This is evident in the distinct form that First Nations literature often takes with a conversational story telling method (Allen and Unwin, 2009), mirroring the oral traditions of dreaming stories that connect elders to youth. This is also shown in the importance of yarning as a method of sharing and respecting information in many First Nations communities (Egan, 2020).
Picture books by First Nations authors subvert the traditional form of this format with sophisticated post-modern stories containing layers or meaning beyond the traditional liner and literal formats (Kwaymullina, 2016, Templeton, 2020). They are also similarly written in the conversational or yarning structure that helps readers connect with the literature.
References
Allen & Unwin. (2009, June 25). Anita Heiss — Aboriginal writing: Literature as a political tool [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0x_34uJww_E
Australian School Library Association. (2018). ALIA-ASLA policy on school library resource provision. https://read.alia.org.au/alia-asla-policy-school-library-resource-provision
Egan, K. (2020, November). The importance of yarning. Retrieved April 2, 2023 from https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/murray/articles,-plans-and-publications/nrm-news-november-2020/the-importance-of-yarning
Kwaymullina, A. (2016, November 16). The many worlds of Australian Indigenous children’s literature. Special Broadcasting Service [SBS]. https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/family/explainer/many-worlds-australian-indigenous-childrens-literature
Queensland Studies Authority. (2007). Guidelines: Indigenous perspectives – selecting and evaluating resources. qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach2/indigenous_g008_0712.pdf
Templeton, T. (2020). Picture perfect: The role of picture books in a secondary classroom. Scan, 39. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/media/documents/vol-39/39-6.pdf
Thorpe, K. & Byrne, A. (2016). Indigenous voices in the State Library of New South Wales. The Australian Library Journal, 65(1), 17–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2016.1129682
