“Things Should Be Done the Way They Should Be Done”

This paper argues for the creation of an Indigenous collections policy at the University of Toronto Libraries. Such a policy would address the preservation and conservation of Indigenous materials in a manner that respects culturally specific views of care and integrity. Whereas Western approaches to “preservation” typically focus on minimizing the physical degradation of an object, Indigenous Knowledge systems are frequently rooted in different norms regarding access, care, and knowledge transmission. I identify three key arguments to present to the University of Toronto (U of T) for developing an Indigenous collections policy: (a) the preservation of Indigenous materials is an ethical imperative; (b) there is scholarly consensus on the importance of collections policies to the decolonization of libraries; and (c) given its global prestige, vast research holdings, and presence on traditional Indigenous lands, U of T is ideally positioned to lead the way for other academic libraries in establishing Indigenous collections policies.