Library Journal has recognized iSchool Assistant Professor Sandy Littletree and Master of Library and Information Science alum Nicola Andrews as in the 鈥淐hange Agents鈥 category. The annual list celebrates 50 individuals shaping the future of libraries and uplifting communities through transformative work.
Littletree and Andrews were selected for their collaborative work 鈥淚nformation as a Relation: Defining Indigenous Information Literacy,鈥 which explores Indigenous ways of knowing and challenges traditional frameworks in information science and librarianship.
Andrews (Pacific Islander/M膩ori), currently the Open Education Librarian at the University of San Francisco and recipient of the 2023 iSchool Graduate of the Last Decade Alumni Impact Award, has a background in Indigenous librarianship and advocacy.
Littletree (Navajo/Eastern Shoshone) a Ph.D. graduate of the iSchool, centers her research on Indigenous information science. She told LJ that her work came from 鈥渁 desire to talk about what Indigenous librarians are experiencing, their different practices, philosophies, and the ways we鈥檝e been drawing on ways of knowing and teaching.鈥
Their work calls attention to the need for libraries to hire more Indigenous workers. 鈥淲hen Indigenous people鈥ork in libraries, they are overwhelmingly tapped as a cultural resource,鈥 Andrews told LJ.
When the pair presented their paper at the International Indigenous Librarians鈥 Forum in Oahu, Hawaii, Littletree recalled audience members coming up to them in tears. She told LJ that for many, it was the first time they truly felt seen.
This powerful response underscores why they have been named Movers and Shakers. Their research and advocacy are reshaping how libraries serve and uplift Indigenous communities and knowledge systems.