Example: Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Rachel Chong
To help students locate Indigenous Voices, we have developed a special Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library catalog search feature. A local subject term was created to highlight Indigenous Voices within our collection. The local subject term “Indigenous Authors” search includes chapters, poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction, and other media. The local subject term “Indigenous Authors” does not include works purely edited by or with a foreword by an Indigenous person. “Indigenous Authors” are people who self-identify as Indigenous.
- Visit kpu.ca/library
- In the catalog tab, click “advanced catalog search” located below the magnify glass near the center of the screen.
- Under the subject bar, look up “Indigenous authors”.
- A list of material by Indigenous authors will appear.
If you are looking at a book and you are not sure if the author is Indigenous, look for the “Indigenous authors” label listed under the Subject Term.
The Indigenous Authors local subject term is manually added to each item in our library catalog. We are constantly adding new material and identifying content written by Indigenous Peoples.
Library vocabularies
Libraries use a variety of vocabularies behind the scene to make items discoverable. This includes the Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) and Canadian Subject Heading(CSH). CSH is a supplementary vocabulary of LCSH, which means it adds terms if they do not pre-exist in LCSH.
- The LCSH “Indigenous Authors” refers to” […] works on Indigenous authors in general, not limited to a particular racial or ethnic group” (Library of Congress, 2025)
- The term “Indigenous Poetry” does not exist in LCSH so it does in CSH. The CSH “Indigenous Poetry” refers to “Here are entered collections of poetry by authors from the three groups of Indigenous peoples residing in Canada included collectively in the same work, that is, First Nations, Métis and Inuit, written in Indigenous languages.” (Library and Archives Canada, 2025)
- There are subdivisions for Indigenous Poetry in French and English, “Indigenous Poetry–French” and “Indigenous Poetry–English”
- The term “First Nations Poetry (English)” refers to ” Here are entered collections of poetry in English by First Nations authors residing in Canada. Collections in a particular First Nations language are entered under the appropriate heading, e.g.: Cree poetry.”
