We welcome individuals of American Indian heritage and all visitors to this guide to resources and services offered by the library. Thank you for taking time to use this resource.
Many terms commonly used to describe North American Indigenous Peoples (NAIP) are exonyms—that is, they were imposed by outside groups, mostly European settlers in this case—and may be considered inaccurate, outdated, or offensive by tribal members. Libraries and similar cultural institutions often use these external labels for American Indian tribes. The Iowa State University Library’s Metadata Services department sought to identify these terms in its catalog for tribes with current or historic ties to the State of Iowa and replace them with authentic ones. As a part of this effort, the department reached out to tribal representatives and offers this online resource as reciprocity for their contributions.
For tribal members, the library is pleased to offer the following services:
The library also highlights these resources by or about members of tribes associated with Iowa:
Please contact the Metadata Services librarians with any recommendations for corrections, additions, or improvements to this guide.
Metadata Services is extremely thankful to our librarian and Iowa State colleagues who contributed or shared feedback on this guide. We value your contributions!
| Harriet Wintermute | Harrison Inefuku | Hannah Scates Kettler |
| Amy Bishop | Megan O'Donnell | Susan Vega García |
| Miranda Cantrell | Omar Poler | Corey Welch |
| Christina Gish Hill | Daniel Hartwig |
The North American Indigenous peoples vocabulary includes current preferred subject headings, related Library of Congress headings, the names of present-day nations, alternative names, and feedback from members of the communities being described. Explore this vocabulary and other preferred terms at Iowa State University Library Vocabularies.
Metadata Services Librarians:
Former Head of Metadata Services:
Iowa State University Library collects, preserves, and provides access to materials for teaching, learning, and research from a broad range of sources and time periods. Some of these materials may be offensive or contain negative stereotypes. Their presence should be viewed and considered within their historical context. They do not represent the views of Iowa State University or the Library, which strives to create and maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment.
The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
