X̱wi7x̱wa Library uses a locally developed classification and subject heading system to organize material in the collection. Materials are catalogued and discoverable on the UBC Library Catalogue. Select “Xwi7xwa Library” as a location filter using the “Branch Location” dropdown menu to limit search results to items at Xwi7xwa Library.
For more information about Indigenous Knowledge Organization, see the Indigenous Knowledge Organization section of X̱wi7x̱wa Library’s Indigenous Librarianship research guide.
Classification System
*** For libraries looking for information on how to implement a Brian Deer system, you should first consider that the Xwi7xwa classification is an example of what works in this library for our audiences. Each implementation needs to be completely unique and take in to consideration the collection and the audience requirements.***
A library’s classification system determines an item’s physical location on the shelf. Each item in the library is assigned to one general “class” of knowledge in the classification system. Items of the same class or similar classes are shelved together. The classification is indicated by a call number, usually placed on the outside of an item (e.g. a label on a book’s spine).
X̱wi7x̱wa Library uses a British Columbia variant of the Brian Deer Classification System, developed by Kahnawake librarian Brian Deer in the 1970s for the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations). To learn more about Brian Deer, this article by Jean Weihs was published in tribute to him shortly after he died in 2019. You might also check out the Indigenous Librarianship LibGuide for additional resources about the classification system.
X̱wi7x̱wa Library’s modified Brian Deer Classification System was developed by founding librarian Gene Joseph (Wet’suwet’en – Nadleh Whut’en).
To learn more about how items at X̱wi7x̱wa Library are classified, watch this short video:
Subject Headings
Subject headings are used to describe the topic(s) or subject(s) of a library item, and an item may be assigned several subject headings. A subject heading is a term selected from a controlled vocabulary (similar to a dictionary or thesaurus). Subject headings can be useful for online catalogue browsing and searching by topic, but they have no relation to a library item’s location on the shelves. The most common are the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH).
X̱wi7x̱wa Library uses First Nations House of Learning (FNHL) subject headings developed at UBC in an effort to better reflect Indigenous Peoples’ self-identities, modes of understanding, and traditional knowledge. The FNHL controlled vocabulary is currently in development. FNHL subject headings follow a standard order of [topic]-[subtopic]-[place]-[chronology].
For example: Aboriginal Canadians – Education –British Columbia.
X̱wi7x̱wa Library’s Names for BC First Nations in BC list will continue to be expanded and revised to best reflect the preferences of First Nations.