About

The Dr. John Archer Library & Archives is situated on Treaty 4 lands, territories of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation. Today, these lands continue to be the shared Territory of many diverse peoples from near and far.

The Library is committed to advancing truth and reconciliation and is an important theme in the University of Regina Strategic Plan, kahkiyaw kiwâhkômâkaninawak: All Our Relations.  Truth and Reconciliation is an area of focus in the Library’s Strategic Goals and initiatives.

• Indigenous Research Day
  • co-host in the University’s inaugural event in 2016 (now the Indigenous Research Showcase)
     
• Instruction and research support to the ta-tawâw Student Centre and nitôncipâmin omâ Student Success Program

• One Book, One Province
  • Steering Committee chaired by Colleen Murphy, Associate University Librarian, Teaching, Learning and Research since 2017.
  • 3 books by Indigenous authors selected to help increase literacy and create a reading culture by providing opportunities for residents to become more socially engaged in their community through a shared story:
    • 2021 Blanket Toss Under Midnight Sun by Paul Seesequasis
    • 2019 Just Pretending by Lisa Bird-Wilson
    • 2017 The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir by Joseph Auguste Merasty
       
• Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month

• Co-host in province-wide libraries program since 2017 to help celebrate, educate, and promote Indigenous language and culture

• Saskatchewan Library Week
  • helped the 2019 launch by having an author reading of Shopping Cart Boy: poems of my life
     
• Treaty 4 Gathering Student Activities Planning Committee  
  • The Treaty 4 Gathering recognizes the signing of Treaty 4 and takes place every year in September.  This committee arranges student activities which run as part of the Treaty 4 Gathering.
  • Librarian Michael Shires has been a member of the Treaty 4 Gathering Student Activities Planning Committee since 2020.

• Advancing Truth and Reconciliation
  • Working with the University and the broader library community to address subject headings used in our catalog that contain historical language that may be considered offensive
  • Revisiting the University of Regina Author Recognition Program and ensure submission guidelines include indigenous authors
  • Implementing reparative collection development and descriptive practices in Archives
     
• Teaching Preparation Centre Library
  • Worked with Faculty of Education to purchase more than 900 items from a $17,000 grant from the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation Grant that supported Indigenous curriculum development
     
• Collaboration with Indigenous Communication Arts Program at First Nations University of Canada
  • Supported the digitization and publishing of the Listen Hear Our Voices video collection
• Databases
  • Various databases contain primary and secondary materials including books, journal articles, reports, diaries, multimedia, etc.

• Archway Gallery
  • 2019-2020 exhibit Riding is Resistance: A colonialism skateboards project

• Indigenous Artwork
  • Indigenous holdings have been identified as a focus area for collection due to being underrepresented within the University of Regina President’s Art Collection.
  • Since 2018, we have annually purchased a contemporary artwork by an artist of First Nations, Inuit or Metis origin for display within a dedicated space on the College Avenue Campus. 
  • More information about Indigenous holdings is available on the Campus Art Guide.
     
• Review and Repatriation of Artwork
  • Museums and universities globally are considering ethical issues relating to the collections under their care, including the impact of colonial collecting practices, repatriation claims by Indigenous peoples, looted objects, and the illicit trafficking of objects, both historical and contemporary. 
  • The 2019 discovery of a stolen Indian idol in the University of Regina’s collection at the MacKenzie Art Gallery (MAG) led to the first repatriation in either institution’s history. This discovery made it apparent that a review of the University’s holdings was necessary to identify other objects with issues related to provenance and ethics.
  • A Collections Review began in Spring 2022 to develop a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances around the acquisition of items from the University of Regina’s collections at the MacKenzie Art Gallery. Each item will be subject to research and documentation to identify any items which are considered inappropriate for museum collection.
  • The review process is guided by principles of sensitivity, accountability and responsibility towards source communities and countries, through information sharing, honest conversations, reparations and where necessary, the pro-active restitution of cultural heritage.
  • This project contributes to fulfilling the University’s objectives as outlined in the 2020-2025 strategic plan, All Our Relations: kahkiyaw kiwâhkômâkaninawak, particularly as they relate to our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, mutual respect, accountability, social responsibility and social impact.