Western library systems are typically created from a Eurocentric and colonial lens, and are not designed to make the process of searching for Indigenous perspectives easy, especially as materials about and created by Indigenous Peoples are often relegated to broad, historical categories.
The Library of Congress uses controlled vocabularies and subject headings to classify bibliographic material. These subject headings are standardized, and they are difficult to change. Problematically, the United States' colonial history is evident in the way the Library of Congress has historically classified certain topics. This issue is nowhere more apparent than in its classification of issues surrounding Native American, First Nations', and indigenous peoples' history and culture.
Currently, the Library of Congress still uses outdated terminology to classify Native American topics and issues. Popular subject headings include
Slowly over time, advocates have been petitioning the Library of Congress to update its controlled subject heading vocabulary to provide an authentic representation of Native Americans' lived experiences. As the transition from older to newer terminology is accomplished, we find many resources have a blend of older and newer subject headings. Newer subject headings include
You can also browse relevant sections of the book stacks, using LC call numbers. For example, indigenous history is classified under History of the Americas:
Class E-F - History of the Americas
At the University of British Columbia's X̱wi7x̱wa Library, librarians have taken an indigenous approach to decolonization. You can read more about their methods here:
For additional information, visit the University of British Columbia's X̱wi7x̱wa Library directly here:
Domestic Subjects: gender, citizenship, and law in Native American literature by 
Erotics of Sovereignty: queer native writing in the era of self-determination by 
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: native America from 1890 to the present by 
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by 
Native American Issues by 
Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the long tradition of Indigenous resistance by 
Reading Native American Literature by 
That Dream Shall Have a Name: Native Americans rewriting America by Use the Advanced Search in Primo to search by subject heading. You can also search using a tribal affiliation as a subject heading, for example, "Coast Salish."
| American fiction--Indian authors |
| American Indians--Culture |
| American Indians--History |
| American literature--Indian authors |
| American poetry--Indian authors |
| First nations of North America |
| Indian arts |
| Indian arts--United States--Pictorial works |
| Indian authors |
| Indian cosmology |
| Indian families |
| Indian literature |
| Indian philosophy--North America |
| Indian reservations--Fiction |
| Indian women |
| Indian women poets |
| Indians, Treatment of |
| Indians--Literary collections |
| Indians--Material culture |
| Indians--Religion |
| Indians--Social life and customs |
| Indians in literature |
| Indians of North America |
| Indians of North America--Authors |
| Indians of North America--Civil rights History |
| Indians of North America--Fiction |
| Indians of North America--Folklore |
| Indians of North America--Intellectual life |
| Indigenous peoples |
| Native American novelists |
| Native American oral histories |
| Native Americans |
| Native Americans--Material culture |
| Native Americans--Social life and customs |
page content adapted from Franklin Pierce University's DiPietro Library and UBC's X̱wi7x̱wa Library
