When Jesse Carson joined Xwi7xwa Library earlier this year as its first full-time archivist, he was already familiar with some of the challenges—and the stacks of boxes—that awaited him.

Founded in 1993, Xwi7xwa Library was intended as a repository for both published and archival materials related to Indigenous communities external to UBC, as well as individuals and organizations at UBC like the First Nations House of Learning. Over the ensuing decades, these materials have accumulated at the library, but the boxes piled up without a full-time archivist to process them and manage the materials in a holistic way.

Enter the archivist

As Canada’s only Indigenous branch of an academic library, Xwi7xwa is recognized for its innovative services and community impact. In 2023, Julie Mitchell, the Associate University Librarian responsible for Xwi7xwa Library, was able to identify limited term funding for an archivist position at Xwi7xwa Library and successfully advocated for this role to be posted. In 2024, a call went out to fill a new appointment at the library—a two-year term position that would work jointly with the Head of Xwi7xwa Library and the University Archivist.

Photo: Xwi7xwa Archivist, Jesse Carson

The archival collections at Xwi7xwa include materials related to the First Nations House of Learning, the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) at UBC, and the history of Xwi7xwa Library itself. Unlike published books, archival materials—such as meeting minutes, photographs, or personal notes—are unique, often irreplaceable, and not usually meant for circulation.

One of the primary concerns with published materials at Xwi7xwa Library is interrogating the source: “There’s a very active effort here to ensure that Indigenous communities and Indigenous peoples are represented in their own words and in their own ways,” says Carson.

Managing archival materials introduces a whole new set of considerations particularly around informed consent, data sovereignty and permissions. Part of Carson’s work will be to develop and recommend policies and procedures for not only the processing and preservation of Xwi7xwa Archives, but also the culturally appropriate handling of materials, managing access and implementing an Indigenous and decolonized approach to the archives.

Building a history

“I’ve been slowly going through everything and starting the process of accessioning, appraising and planning how to process and preserve these materials,” says Carson. “That’s probably going to be the lion’s share of the first year or two as far as managing the archives—catching up on that massive backlog.”

Asked whether he’s uncovered any hidden gems in those boxes, Carson notes that his favorite finds are usually not visual, but instead consist of correspondence and meeting minutes: “One of our larger collections is the history of Xwi7xwa Library itself. We have a 30-year history of people discussing what an Indigenous library at UBC is going to look like and the documentary history of those discussions… These records address a lot of interesting institutional history, both for UBC and for the First Nations House of Learning.”

The importance of honouring this history is echoed by Kayla Lar-Son, Acting Head of Xwi7xwa library.

“As acting head of the branch I often reflect on how Xwi7xwa is upholding the UBC Longhouse teachings, and thinking about what the original vision was for Xwi7xwa while also remaining relevant in today’s world,” says Lar-Son. “We are so incredibly fortunate to have Jesse acting as the inaugural archivist for Xwi7xwa library. His hiring allows for us to move closer to the original vision of the archives, and having materials accessible for all community needs. Having a dedicated archivist for the branch also allows for us to further honour the individuals whose academic and lives’ works are housed within our archives.”

Photo: Acting Head of Xwi7xwa Library, Kayla Lar-Son

On representation and collaboration

Before joining the team as an archivist, Carson spent two years working at Xwi7xwa as a student archivist while completing his Master of Archival Studies at UBC’s School of Information.

“I recognize I am of a settler background and someone who is not Indigenous, and I think it certainly impacts the way that I do the work,” notes Carson, who also asked, as part of the hiring process, to make the position title reflect that transparency. As a result, the title was changed from Indigenous Archivist to Xwi7xwa Archivist.

There’s sometimes a view of archivists as solitary positions, but Carson says that’s not the case at Xwi7xwa, and the collaborative environment was a big reason he was excited to come back to the library. “The work that I’m doing is much easier and much better by virtue of having access to all the great people that I’m working with.”