{"id":372576,"date":"2025-02-12T15:21:57","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/?p=372576"},"modified":"2025-02-12T15:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:45:19","slug":"dedicated-space-for-indigenous-students-researchers-opens-at-scott-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2025\/02\/12\/dedicated-space-for-indigenous-students-researchers-opens-at-scott-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Dedicated space for Indigenous students, researchers opens at Scott Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Located in Room 202E of the Scott Library, Miinkaanensing is a new space that offers Indigenous students and researchers a quiet space to gather and engage with Indigenous resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea for the room dates back to library renovation plans undertaken in 2018, and the 2022 arrival of Cora Coady<\/strong>, Indigenous teaching and learning librarian. Notably, in 2023, Coady conducted interviews with Indigenous students to learn more about their needs and experiences with the library. During those conversations, Indigenous students spoke about the lack of Indigenous representation in the library and identified the need for a quiet space to engage with materials that would not be recolonized.<\/p>\n\n\n After discussions with the Dean of Libraries office, a subcommittee of YUL\u2019s Indigenous Action Working Group \u2013 made up of library staff and faculty \u2013 collaborated with York's Indigenous students and undertook plans to create a room that would meet Indigenous students\u2019 needs. \u201cWe prioritized the students' needs in the conceptualization of the space,\u201d says Coady. \u201cThere were several open areas that we had looked at, but the students had identified a need for a quiet and private space where they could engage with Indigenous resources. We tried to honour the knowledge and experiences they shared in our design of the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An important part of the process was ensuring the room had an appropriate name. \u201cIndigenous spaces should be gifted Indigenous names and there isn\u2019t any other area of the library that has an Indigenous name,\u201d says Coady. She reached out to Susan Dion<\/strong>, York\u2019s associate vice-president Indigenous initiatives, who connected her with Ninaatig Philip Staats Pangowish, an Indigenous language keeper. He gave the room the name Miinkaanensing, meaning \u201cat the seed,\u201d which is meant to represent the growth and potential that is on the horizon for the relationship building between the Indigenous 51³Ô¹ÏÍø and the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This initiative aligns with YUL\u2019s Strategic Plan and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, promoting inclusive and equitable education and reducing inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n