Protocols: meeting the challenges of Indigenous information needs.

In 1995, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols for Libraries, Archives and Information Services (1) (hereafter the Protocols) were published to guide professional practice in relation to Indigenous Australian people and materials. The library and information context is a diverse and changing one, constantly accommodating technological and information expansion, as well as changing user needs, including changing and diverse Indigenous needs. Protocols can only ever be guidelines and must be broad enough to be interpreted across a range of organisations and circumstances. That is what we endeavoured to provide in the Protocols.

The Protocols have been available for use for a decade. This chapter (2) restates the importance of Indigenous protocols for the Australian library and information sector. It provides background to the development of the Protocols. From my perspective as an Indigenous librarian who co-authored the Protocols and who has more recently been a member of the reference committee of a research project to gauge its usefulness to the profession, (3) I discuss some of the ongoing challenges. My concerns focus on the work that still needs to be done in the area of governance, professional development on Indigenous issues, employment, education and training of Indigenous professionals, as well as the role of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Resource and Information Network (ATSILIRN).

Background to the Protocols

The Protocols were developed in response to a need by many libraries to know how to deal with their Indigenous collections and how to provide services to their Indigenous clients. It was recognised at the time that libraries, archives and information services had a role to play in the reconciliation process. The vision of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, which was established in 1991, was '[a] united Australia which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Strait Torres Islander heritage; and provides justice and equity for all.' (4) In the same year, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (5) recommended in its national report that access to historical archives and records be facilitated to assist Aboriginal people to restore family links. In 1997, the Bringing Them Home report (6) was published, revealing to other Australians the extent of Indigenous suffering under past government policies. It brought with it further recommendations for increased Indigenous access to archives and other collections and contributed to an increase in interest in the reconciliation process across the country. This all gave impetus to the Protocols as an important document to assist professionals, and sections of the profession embraced the principles of the Protocols with goodwill and commitment.

The Protocols identified eleven areas that were relevant to Indigenous information issues and broad principles were developed to highlight the issues and guide practice:

1 Content and perspectives

This area sought to address issues that related to Indigenous content in collections, the balance in representation of Indigenous perspectives, the inclusion of material about and by Indigenous Australians, promotion of Indigenous collections and access policies for Indigenous content in collections.

2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander intellectual property issues

This area sought to draw attention to the rights of Indigenous people as owners and custodians of their cultural knowledge. Copyright only protects the interests of those who publish such materials and not the people who contributed their knowledge. Rights to be considered…