The Children’s Library collection contains a great deal of excellent material, but because we collect widely, we also have many materials that contain stereotypes and inaccuracies. In order to help people use the collection, it has been divided up into several sections:
The Native American Research Collection is the collection that we recommend to visitors and researchers. It contains only books that were written, or endorsed by Native people or Tribal Nations. These are the best books in the Children’s Library for accurate and authentic historical and cultural information about Native people, because of their perspective, or who wrote them.
The Native American Historical Collection is the largest collection. It is composed of books, fiction and nonfiction, about Native people of North America (including Canada and Hawaii) that were written for children. Most of the materials in the Native American Research Collection are also duplicated in this collection. The Native American Historical Collection contains many books with inaccurate, insensitive, or stereotypical text or illustrations. The purpose of this collection is to create a historical record of the changing attitudes about American Indians in children's literature.
The Education Collection contains materials for educators that address teaching about American Indians. There are curriculum guides, lesson plans, and books and serials on Native American and multicultural education.
The Video, Cassette, Kit, CD-ROM, DVD and CD Collections contain multimedia materials. These materials vary widely in quality and authenticity and are not subdivided into Research and Historical classifications, as the book collections are.
The Reference Collection contains reference books about American Indians, as well as general reference materials on a variety of topics.
