Decolonising the Public Library

Decolonising the Public Library is an inspiring, forward‑looking study of how public libraries can address settler‑colonial legacies rooted in historical materialism. Using Thunder Bay Public Library as its case, this book shows how sustained visionary leadership, needs‑based services, community collaborations, and dedicated Indigenous spaces can reshape institutions. Celebrating courage, community leadership, and collaboration, it offers a hopeful vision to advance reconciliation and structural equity. This is an essential read for administrators and EDI practitioners.

-- Beth McNeil, Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science, Purdue University; Maha Kumaran, Faculty Librarian, University of Saskatchewan, and Mark Puente, Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Purdue University, co-editors of Championing Change for Global Marginalized Librarians

Pateman and Meady's Decolonising the Public Library is a great example of how institutions, not necessarily at the center of discussion about structural change, can carefully and intentionally work to overcome historical legacies of oppression and cultural violence. Along these lines, this work helps to provide insight into what processes can be used to enhance relationships between local governments and Indigenous communities. The lessons gleamed in this book can be used to provide insight into community development and relationship building processes that have the potential for sustainable and mutually beneficial outcomes.

-- Jason D. Rivera, Professor of Public Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY and co-author (with Michele Companion) of Indigenous Experiences With Collaborative Govern