School library ‘decolonized’ and ‘genre-fied,’ says librarian, principal
Cortes Island School has done away with the Dewy Decimal System in their library, with the help of School District 72’s District Librarian Cathy Fowler, in an effort to reorganize the space and to make things more inclusive and accessible.
The books were recently reorganized into genres, placed in categorized baskets and are now forward facing. This makes it easier for students to read titles and sift through books on the same topic, according to the school.
The reorganization is also meant to “decolonize” the library. School principal Michael Datura explained the intention, “is to remove books that are outdated or have books written about Indigenous peoples that are not from or by Indigenous peoples where the content is either questionable or obsolete.”
The effort is fueled by SD 72’s strategic plan priority to, “honour Indigenous worldviews and perspectives.”
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