Services to Indigenous Communities

Peace Library System acknowledges that we are located on the Treaty 8 territory of the Cree, Beaver, and Dene people, and Region 6 of the Métis Nation of Alberta. We are grateful to live, work, and learn together on this land which has been home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples since time immemorial. We recognize this land as an act of reconciliation, and we also commit to supporting and celebrating our local Indigenous communities while working to break down institutional barriers to make our libraries equitable and accessible.

Peace Library System is situated on traditional Treaty 8 territory serving 18 First Nations Reserves and 4 Métis Settlements.

Click here for information on those communities served.

Support for Indigenous Patrons

  • Indian Residential School Survivors and Family 1-866-925-4419
    The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24-hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of his or her Residential school experience.
  • Inuit & First Nations Hope for Wellness Line (available in Inuktitut, Cree, Ojibway, English, and French) | Phone: 1-855-242-3310 | Online chat
  • Crisis Services Canada | Phone in English: 1-833-456-4566 | Phone in French: 1-866-277-3553
  • Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868
  • Good2Talk Post Secondary Crisis Line 1-866-925-5454
  • LGBT Youth Line LGBTQQ22SI peer support | Phone: 1-800-268-9688 | Text 647-694-4275

Recent Books with Indigenous Representation

See All Recent Books with Indigenous Representation

This booklist is updated approximately every summer & winter. Last updated: December 2021

Alberta Indigenous Relations --  the website for the Government of Alberta

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association --  access contact information for friendship centres across the province and more.

Alberta Research Portal -- a database free to everyone in Alberta that offers access to the Indigenous Peoples of North America database.

Best Practices in Library Services for Aboriginal Peoples in Saskatchewan -- by Deborah Lee and Deirdre Crichton

Beyond 94 -- from CBC News

Blackfoot and First Nations Metis and Inuir Protocol Handbook -- by the University of Lethbridge

Canadian Federation of Library Associations: Indigenous Resources (English | French)

Blackfoot Digital Library -- by the University of Lethbridge

Discussing Residential Schools and Indigenous Issues -- The Canadian Children's Book Centre

Empowering the Spirit: Education Resources to Support Reconciliation

Engaging with Elders: A Co-Created Story -- from Native Counselling Services of Alberta

Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research

Glenbow Archives -- resources for genealogy research with a focus on Prairie Provinces and Métis ancestry

Google Earth Voyager: Canadian Residential Schools

Ground Work For Change

Guide to indigenous organizations and services in Alberta -- by the Government of Alberta

Guide to Acknowledging First Peoples & Traditional Territory -- by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT)

Indian Residential School System in Canada from X̱wi7x̱wa Library of UBC

Indigenous Canada -- a course taught by the University of Alberta

Indian Residential School System in Canada from X̱wi7x̱wa Library of UBC

Indigenous Language Apps and Websites

Indigenous Library and Information Studies Online Material from University of Alberta

It's Our Time Learning Modules -- from Assembly of First Nations

Let's Talk About Reconciliation | A Resource Guide for Libraries -- by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Moving in the Circle: Indigenous Solidarity for Canadian Libraries (vol 12, no 2, 2017) -- from The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research

National Association of Friendship Centres -- contact information and resources from friendship centres across the country. 

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

Native Counselling Services of Alberta -helping to provide fair and equitable access to justice, children's services and corrections systems in Alberta.

Not Just Another Day Off -- an online exhibit on Orange Shirt Day and the legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

Orange Shirt Day -- Resources to support Orange Shirt Day taking place on September 30th.

Rupertsland Institute: Classroom Resources

Speaking our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation -- a website companion to book by the same name from Monique Gray Smith

Stepping Stones - from The Alberta Teachers' Association

  1. ​Terminology Reference (English French)
  2. Alberta Métis Settlements and Agreements (English French)
  3. An Introduction to the Inuit (English French)
  4. Numbered Treaties within Alberta: Treaty 6 (English French)
  5. Timeline of Alberta's Indigenous History (English French)
  6. Numbered Treaties within Alberta: Treaty 7 (English French)
  7. Elder Protocol (English French)
  8. Numbered Treaties within Alberta: Treaty 8 (English French)
  9. Traditional Plants (English French)
  10. First Nations, Métis and Inuit Music and Dance (English | French)
  11. Indigenous Education Resources (English French)
  12. Indigenous Linguistic Diversity and Revitalization (English French)
  13. Residential Schools—First Nations Experience (English French)
  14. Residential Schools—Métis Experience (English French)
  15. Residential Schools—Inuit Experience (English)

The Children Remembered: Residential School Archives Project

The People and the Text - Indigenous Writing to 1992

Treaty Talk & Treaty Walk Films - two films to be used as educational tools for schools and communities.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (English French)

Voices of the Land - Alberta-wide platform supporting the creation, sharing, discovery and celebration of Indigenous content. 

Acknowledging Land and People map of Alberta (English French)

All My Relations
A podcast from Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene where they explore what it means to be an Indigenous person and the different topics facing Indigenous people today.

Coffee With My Ma
A radical activist mother Kahentinetha Horn tells her daughter her stories of her very long adventurous life, always with the sense of humour that carried her through.

Finding Cleo
A CBC podcast about trying to find Cleo, a child taken by the welfare workers in the 70s and adopted in the U.S.

Indigenous 150+
Created by the Indigenous150+ Youth Ambassador program, over 40 episodes of conversations with knowledge keepers, community leaders, artists, and influencers.

Indigenous Cinema from the National Film Board -- a space dedicated to short and long films from Indigenous creators

Kiwew (CBC Podcast)
A five-part podcast where David A. Robertson dives into his family's history and mysteries as he discovers and connects with his Cree identity.

Muddied Water
A CBC podcast that explores the history of the Metis people in Manitoba.

The Historical Natives
The tales of bone-chilling creatures from Indigenous peoples across North America.

The Secret Life of Canada
A podcast about the country we know and the stories we don't.

The Truth Sharing Podcast
A series of episodes visit five Canadian communities to seek out voices who have experienced loss, how they try to heal and shine a light on those trying to bring change after the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

This Place (CBC Podcast)
Based on the acclaimed graphic novel anthology, This Place is a 10-part journey through one-hundred and fifty years of Indigenous resistance and resilience. Through dramatizations and interviews, along with your host and time-guide storyteller Rosanna Deerchild, the series reveals the heroes, battles, triumphs and traditions which live outside and beyond the national story we have been taught ... to learn, to share, and to heal the future of "this place" we call Canada.

Treaty Talk & Treaty Walk Films - two films to be used as educational tools for schools and communities.

Unreserved (CBC Podcast)
Unreserved is the radio space for Indigenous community, culture, and conversation. Host Falen Johnson takes you straight into Indigenous Canada, from Halifax to Haida Gwaii, from Shamattawa to Ottawa, introducing listeners to the storytellers, culture makers, and community shakers from across the country.

Indigenous Professional Development Titles

American Indians in Children's Literature -- established in 2006 to provide critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in books, curriculum, pop culture, and society.

Books on Residential Schools, Chosen & Shared by David A. Robertson -- Book recommendations from David A. Robertson.

CBC Books --  you can always find reading recommendations and lists of books focusing on Canadian and Indigenous authors.

First Nation Communities Read -- an annual reading program run in Ontario spotlightning the best indigenous content as well as indigenous voices.

GoodMinds.com -- a business based on the Six Nations in southwestern Ontario, they are the leading resource for resources related to Indigenous content.

Strong Nations -- a business based in Nanaimo, BC offering a great selection of Indigenous books for all ages.

At Home on Native Land  - self-guided video course. Includes: 10 conversations with prominent Indigenous thinkers, scholars, and legal experts with host Ryan McMahon, 10 lessons laying out the fundamentals of Treaty rights, the Indian Act, Constitutional rights, and environmental rights & Indigenous stewardship, and prompts for self-reflection and ways to initiate dialogue at work, at school, or around the dinner table

Indigenous Data Management Series - discusses metadata standards with a focus on those relevant to Indigenous communities, including the Traditional Knowledge Labels developed by Local Contexts.

Steps to Reconciliation in Alberta Libraries on Peace Library System Staff Niche Academy

Last updated: 1 June 2023.