Nish in the library with Sam Bird

Openshelfola

From 2017 to 2019, Samantha Martin-Bird was the Indigenous Relationships Supervisor at the Thunder Bay Public Library in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In this role, Sam was committed to making the library a more welcoming and relevant space for Indigenous Peoples. As part of this work, she began a series of conversations with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals about a wide range of topics that include racism, the land, decolonization, erotica, and the relevance of libraries. This six-part podcast invites you to listen to these fascinating, funny, and enlightening conversations.

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At the centre: A conversation with Nêhiyaw educator Amanda Moosemay

In May 2019, Samantha (Sam) Martin-Bird travelled to Saskatchewan to spend a few days visiting friends and to attend a fantastic Indigenous library conference. One of her  former classmates, Amanda Moosemay, is now a Grade 4 teacher at George Gordon’s First Nation, a community just over 100 kilometres north of Regina. Sam toured Amanda’s classroom and then sat down with her to chat about treaty education, community hub libraries in Regina, and the school library. Listen to Sam's conversation with Amanda and read the full story on Open Shelf, the official online magazine of the Ontario Library Association.

Aug 15, 2020

10 min

Proud of the work you do: An interview with Tanya Talaga

In April 2019, journalist Tanaya Talaga attended Diversity Thunder Bay, was the keynote speaker at the annual meal hosted by Diversity Thunder Bay and the City of Thunder Bay Anti-Racism & Respect Committee. Listen to her conversation with Samantha (Sam) Martin-Bird and Robin Medicine. And read the full story published in Open Shelf, the official online magazine of the Ontario Library Association.

Aug 15, 2020

9 min