We are Here, sharing stories through archival material - Heather Campbell

We Are Here, Sharing Stories is a three-year mass digitization initiative at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) that involves in-depth research into Indigenous archival content from all media held at LAC. An important element of the project entails the creation of culturally appropriate and socially inclusive metadata to facilitate online access to records pertaining to First Nations, the Métis Nation and Inuit peoples.

LAC has hired three Indigenous people as archivists for the We Are Here: Sharing Stories team. Heather Campbell is the Inuit Archivist on the team. Their role is to review material and collect metadata to be added either to the database or for use in thematic guides, blogs, and eBooks. As First Nations Archivist Anna Heffernan of Curve Lake states: “While researching the Indigenous content in LAC’s collections, we have discovered that in many cases, what may seem like a gap in content is actually a gap in description. Past archival descriptions often failed to capture Indigenous content because they were written through a colonial lens that prioritized Euro-Canadian people, places, and perspectives.” Through this project Campbell and her colleagues are making Indigenous content more visible and accessible by filling description gaps. The strategies they are helping to develop will assist with the decolonization of archival processes. Indigenous input into policies around archival description, as well as their roles as Indigenous archivists will help meet the needs of, and connect with the Indigenous peoples represented in the historical documentation at LAC. The unique and valuable context Campbell will add as an Inuk will foster greater understanding of Inuit in Canada.