About The Library Worker

Street signs and pylons on the verge beside a parking lot.

Located on unceded territory and Treaty territory, The Library Worker is an independent project started by two library workers in the settler state, Canada. We live and work in multiple places including the unceded and traditional territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and kʷikʷəƛ ̓ əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples, as well as amiskwaciy-wâskahikan on Treaty Six territory, the traditional territory of many peoples, including the Néhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Nakoda (Stoney), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux) peoples.

While land acknowledgements make visible the peoples and cultures that colonialism seeks to erase, it is important to remember that it is only the smallest of steps towards reconciliation. We encourage everyone to be curious about whose land they live on and understand the colonial processes of oppression and displacement that continue to reinforce marginalization and erasure and make settler life possible. Many resources exist, including maps of Indigenous connection to land found at Native Land and treaty maps found at the Yellowhead Institute. The Yellowhead Institute also has a wealth of reports and papers including the Red Papers Land Back and Cash Back. Reconciliation is ongoing and the responsibility of all settlers on Turtle Island.

We started The Library Worker Project as a response to the growing and urgent issues we see in public libraries across the continent. Our goal is to share our experiences, highlight resources, promote the voices of frontline workers, and foster communication between library workers across Canada.

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Let us know what you think or just say hi! You can find us on Instagram and Bluesky, or email us at thelibraryworkers@gmail.com