The Spirit of Act 31, or, "scio me nihil scire"

When I attended the American Indian Studies Summer Institute, the main topic of conversation was how to enforce Act 31 (see http://www.mpm.edu/wirp/ICW-23.html for a brief summary of the statute) within our workplaces. The wording is maddeningly vague to some, especially the phrase "adequate instructional materials, texts, and library services." I think some of us entered the workshop in search of answers only to find that we were expected to create our own.

One of the (few) stock phrases used was carrying out the "spirit of Act 31," or considering its true intent. The statute was never intended to resemble the Minnesota Graduation Standards I suffered through as a child, where every desired educational objective was laid out point-by-point for the districts. Those of us in attendance were given a strong background on tribal sovereignty and wisdom from those who have lived through the struggles to have it recognized. About four days into the workshop, it finally started to make sense to me. For me, the spirit of Act 31 meant that this project could not necessarily end as a passive bibliographic project.

Although I am far from an expert in this area, I can at least choose to begin the work for the work for others to carry forward. As a library student, time is the one thing I have to offer others. Somehow, I need to find a way to help others make resources more available. There is a wealth of great materials that are not being widely accessed and there is a lack of encouragement for people to make this area of education a priority (for several reasons). So, instead of finding answers at the end of this project, I find a wealth of questions to ask myself. I don't expect to find the answers based on my own understanding, but instead my hope is to start seeking them out with the knowledge and sense of purpose I have gained.

Site of the Day: MERIT resource guide
http://cimc.education.wisc.edu/help/Guides/wiscnative.html

For those starting an academic project on Wisconsin Native Americans, this site is a map of sorts through Madison's resources. I would recommend starting with the "websites" section and then moving into the e-resources and MadCat once you have a particular area of interest in mind.