A. Brian Deer facts for kids

Alec Brian Deer (1945 – January 12, 2019) was a special kind of librarian. He was from Kahnawake, a Mohawk community in Canada. Brian Deer created a new way to organize books and information. This system helps libraries arrange materials about Indigenous knowledge. It's now known as the Brian Deer Classification System (BDCS).

He developed this system in the late 1970s. He worked for the National Indian Brotherhood in Canada. This group is now called the Assembly of First Nations. Brian Deer also helped other libraries use his ideas. His system was updated and is now used more widely.

The system was also adapted for libraries in British Columbia. One version, called BDC-BC, was created in the early 1980s. It is used by the Xwi7xwa Library at the University of British Columbia. This library focuses on Indigenous materials.

Brian Deer had lung problems when he was young. But he worked hard to become strong. He lived much longer than doctors expected. He passed away at age 74 in 2019 in Montreal.

Early Life and Education

Alec Brian Deer was born in 1945 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the third of four children. His parents, Norah Johnson and Alec Deering, were both Mohawk. Brian was born during a big snowstorm. His parents had to walk to the hospital.

As a baby, Brian had pneumonia. He had lung problems as a child and needed surgery. To get stronger, he focused on building his physical strength.

His father added "ing" to their last name, 'Deer'. This was because many people in their home community of Kahnawake had the name 'Deer'. The family moved back to Kahnawake in Quebec, Canada, when Brian was young. He later changed his last name back to the original 'Deer'.

Brian graduated from John Grant High School in 1962. He then studied Mathematics at Sir George Williams University. This school is now called Concordia University. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1966.

He also got a teaching certificate. He taught high school for a short time in Kahnawake. But he decided to try a different career. Brian went to McGill University to study library science. He earned his Master of Library Science degree in 1974.

A New Way to Organize Knowledge

After finishing his master's degree, Brian Deer became a librarian. In 1974, he started working for the National Indian Brotherhood (NIB). He was one of the first Indigenous librarians in Canada.

He noticed that the usual library systems, like the Library of Congress, didn't work well for Indigenous materials. These systems didn't show how Indigenous knowledge is connected. So, from 1974 to 1976, he created a brand new system. It organized information in a way that made sense for Indigenous cultures.

Brian Deer later worked at the library for the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs. He changed his system to fit their collection. He made his system flexible. This meant it could be adapted for different communities and their unique collections. He created a new system for each library he worked with.

He later returned to Kahnawake. There, he helped organize materials at the Cultural Centre. He also worked at the Mohawk Nation Office.

Wider Impact and Later Years

Brian Deer was also a respected scholar and teacher. He wrote about Indigenous knowledge and culture. He taught courses on these topics at Concordia University. He even ran a video store in Kahnawake.

As he got older, Brian Deer's lung problems returned. He passed away in 2019.

Influence and Legacy

Brian Deer's work has had a big impact on libraries. His classification system is studied by many experts. It's a high-level system, not just a list of subject headings.

Other scholars have built upon his ideas. For example, Keltie McCall and Gene Joseph worked with his system. They created the BDC-BC System for libraries in British Columbia.

Later, Gene Joseph adapted the BDC-BC system for the University of British Columbia (UBC). This was for the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP). The Xwi7xwa Library at UBC grew from this collection. Today, the Xwi7xwa Library uses its own version of the BDC-BC system. It has over 15,000 items.

Brian Deer's work is becoming more and more important. It helps libraries organize information in a way that respects Indigenous peoples. It also helps libraries "decolonize" their collections. This means making sure the information reflects Indigenous cultures fairly. The Aanischaaukamikw Cree Culture Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou, Quebec, also uses an updated version of the BDCS.