Native American literature for young people: a survey of collection development methods in public libraries

statement will be valuable and useful to publishers and producers

of adult materials as well as to librarians working with adults.

BASIC

1. Is the image of the Indian one of a real human being, with

strengths and weaknesses, acting in response to his own

nature and his own times? If material is fictional, are the

characters realistically developed? Are situations true or

possibly true to Indian ways of life?

2. Does the material present both sides of the event, issue,

problem, or other concern? Is comparable information

presented more effectively in other material?

3. Are the contributions of American Indian culture to Western

civilization given rightful and accurate representation and

is this culture evaluated in terms of its own values and

attitudes rather than in terms of those of another culture?

ADDITIONAL

1. What are the author's or producer's qualifications to write

or produce material dealing with American Indians?

2. Does the material contain factual errors or misleading

information?

3. Does the material perpetuate stereotypes or myths about

the American Indian? Does the material show an obvious

or subtle bias?

4. Do illustrations authentically depict Indian ways of life?

5. How might the material affect an Indian person's image

of himself?

6. Would the material help an Indian identify with and be

proud of his heritage?

7. Does the material express Indian values and might it help

an American Indian to reconcile his own values with

conflicting ones?

8. Does the material present a positive or negative image of

the American Indian and how might the material affect

the non-Indian's image of Indian people?

9. Are loaded words (i.e. buck, squaw, redskin, etc.) used in

such a way as to be needlessly offensive, insensitive, or

inappropriate?

10. Does the material contain much of value but require

additional information to make it more relevant or useful?

(Library Services Institute for Minnesota Indians,

1970, pp. iv-v)

Townley (1978) marked the year 1973 as the point of closure for the first phase of Indian library development. A coinciding event which occurred that year was the publication of a joint policy statement by the National Indian Education Association and ALA titled, "Goals for Indian Library and Information Service." One of the goals stipulated the acquisition of library resources in the following terms:

Goal--Materials which meet informational and educational needs and

which present a bi-cultural view of history and culture, must be provided

in appropriate formats, quality, and quantity to meet current and future

needs. The library should produce its own materials, if they are not

available, in a language or format used by most of the community.

(National Indian Education Association & ALA, 1974, n.p.) These guidelines reflect earlier statements about the types of materials required to appropriately fulfill the informational needs of Indian patrons. But, on a profound level, these goals embody universal criteria that should be implemented in selecting materials pertaining to Native American literature for all types of users.