Hobbema is located near the intersection of Highway 2A and Highway 611, approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of the City of Edmonton.
The community straddles the boundaries between the Ermineskin Cree Nation reserve, the Samson Cree Nation reserve near Ponoka County. The northern portion of the community is located within the Ermineskin reserve on the west side of Highway 2A. The southern portion of the community is located within the Samson reserve on the east side of Highway 2A and north side of Highway 611.
First Nations Bands in Hobbema
Hobbema is primarily a First Nation community that serves four First Nations of Cree bands, tribes, or nations. The four reserves are collectively known as the "four nations", which are party to Treaty Six. In addition to the previously mentioned Ermineskin Cree Nation and Samson Cree Nation, the other two members of the "four nations" are the Louis Bull Tribe and the Montana First Nation
Current library capacity and infrastructure in Hobbema perception
Each band has education authorities who run their school libraries. These school libraries have a collection of 2000-40,000 books to support the curriculum. The Maskwachees Cultural College has a collection of 35,000 books, DVDs, pictures and VHS. Some books are classified, catalogued and circulated using a library software such as SirsiDynix. The Samson Nation museum has a collection of photographs and audiovisual materials. The band administration has population and operational records. Some bands provide an adult literacy program. Some of these programs have a computer lab.
Cultural sensitivity and libraries framework
A library on the FN land would be set-up after consulting the people living on the FN land. The FN people will decide the level of flexibility or fixed term required to circulate resources and their expectations from their library in their style, tradition and value system.
Pilot project goals and objectives
Core library services
FNs content
Programs
Space and inclusive atmosphere
Knowledge sharing, employment and community engagement
·
To create a collection of books, magazines, music, and stories
at a standard acceptable for public libraries at a regional, national and international level.
·
To classify, catalogue and circulate the resources
·
To create local content by engaging the FN people on the
reserve
·
To create a collection of photographs of regalia used for
pow wows
·
To use the content created for educational and
programming purpose
·
To compile a images database which has pictures of FNs
people and this could be used as a family and connections tree
·
To have a depository of all the books
published by FNs writers in Hobbema and of Maskwachees
origin
origin
·
impacted all four reserves
impacted all four reserves
·
To make
available annual reports of corporations, trusts, bands, and business
organizations in
Hobbema
Hobbema
·
To offer early literacy, rhythmic storytime and family
literacy activities inpartnership with the early literacy service providers, daycares and community organizations such as auntie stoytime, intergenerational gathering, Collaborative parenting and a dads plus kids sharing circles.
·
To offer programs for youth, adult and seniors
·
To offer essential skills sessions and computer training
sessions
·
To offer
intergenerational programming by connecting elders with youth on the reserve
and
thus keep the youth engaged and the community mobilized
thus keep the youth engaged and the community mobilized
·
To learn about cultural gatherings and
ceremonies
·
To provide a safe study space
·
To make the FN people accepted and welcomed in the public
libraries network
·
To provide access to technology and internet
Knowledge sharing, employment and community engagement
·
To use this pilot library as a model to offer library
services for the FN community on and off the reserve land
·
To train FN people to run their libraries
·
To use the library framework to create more jobs for FN
people and to get funding to support
community engagement projects. The grants which we could apply for are CAP, Alberta Arts
Days, New Horizons for Seniors, FN Storyteller in Residence, Writer in Residence, etc.
Explore alternate funding mechanisms and support from public librarians.
community engagement projects. The grants which we could apply for are CAP, Alberta Arts
Days, New Horizons for Seniors, FN Storyteller in Residence, Writer in Residence, etc.
Explore alternate funding mechanisms and support from public librarians.
·
To use the public library as a connection to lifestyle
off and on reserve land
·
To assist people who want to learn; adult learners gain
access to the learning sites that track
individual learning progress; these sites are not available now to adult learners or those who
do not attend the four band schools (very few people know about them in Hobbema)
individual learning progress; these sites are not available now to adult learners or those who
do not attend the four band schools (very few people know about them in Hobbema)
·
To create a place to learn the Cree language and other
languages, intergenerational
information transfer and connect with culture and identity
information transfer and connect with culture and identity
Non monetary resources and support available: A public library place and a collection of books in the basement of the Samson Education Authority office. Each band has a school library, a Headstart program which is funded by Health Canada, and an adult literacy program.
Access to K-12 students via the ORC that is available via http://www.learnalberta.ca/. Reserve schools in Alberta do have access to these resources and if they log on to the web site from school will be automatically authenticated.
Pilot project: We could try a mobile music, storytelling, puppet shows, readers theatre with laptops and books.
Location: Multiple service point in the reserve are proposed such as the mall, literacy departments, schools, recreation department, soup kitchen and food banks, band office, women's shelter, elder's centre, and the public health space.
Decision Action Step: It is upto the FN community to decide if they would like to have their public library. If yes, then I will help, mobilize resources, work with FN people and pass my knowledge of libraries.
Cost for the pilot project (Core and scaffolding):
Core
Cost scaffolding based on the library service needs in the community
Governance: Set of a volunteer governing board - the Chief and Council from the four bands to assign the representatives to sit on the Maskwacis Community Library Board
Core
- Collection: $25,000
- Computer with library software, barcodes, scanner, etc.: $25,000
- Staff Library coordinator and circulation: $45,000
- Cataloguer and processor: $15,000
Cost scaffolding based on the library service needs in the community
- Computer lab and digital literacy trainer
- Literacy coordinator
- Program collaborator
- Emergent literacy facilitator
Governance: Set of a volunteer governing board - the Chief and Council from the four bands to assign the representatives to sit on the Maskwacis Community Library Board
Funding: Pitch for federal dollars as education is a treaty right
June 21, 2010, Aboriginal Day Celebration at the library (Community Initiator) http://aboriginalcelebrationjune2010.blogspot.com/
May 19, 2011
: Amanda Lightning, My work experience student from Norquest College Alberta
September 28-29, 2011: Attended FASD training in Camrose. Facilitated by Donna Debolt. This was organized by TIPs
Questions raised during community consultations: How come the reserve doesn't have a public library? Why are reserves treated differently when they have a population that is larger than its neighbours!
Proposal is at a Conception Stage: I am inviting community input.
I look forward to hearing your comments. I am interested in serving FNs communities.
Respectfully submitted by
Manisha Khetarpal
manishacommunications@gmail.com 780 352 1633
http://librarypathwaysandfootprints.blogspot.com
http://manishakhetarpal.blogspot.com
Draft written on: September 27, 2011
Reading Program May-August 2012: http://aboriginalsummerreading.blogspot.ca/
Access to books in 2012: http://librarypathwaysandfootprints.blogspot.ca/2012/11/free-books-distributed-to-fns-students.html
Revised after community consultations: December 6th, 2012; April 5th, 2013.
Revised after community consultations: December 6th, 2012; April 5th, 2013.
