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Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums facts for kids
The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums (ATALM) is a group that helps cultural places all over the world. It especially focuses on indigenous peoples in the United States, which means Native American tribes. ATALM is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It works closely with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, located in Washington, D.C.. ATALM also has strong connections with many state, regional, and tribal groups that deal with libraries, museums, and culture. These include the National Museum of the American Indian and the Library of Congress. The group gets most of its money from grants (money given to help) from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and other related organizations.
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How ATALM Started and What It Does
ATALM officially began in 2010. It grew from ideas and work started at a big meeting in 2002 called the National Conference of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, held in Mesa, Arizona. More meetings happened in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009. The first money for ATALM came from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Arizona State Museum, and the Western Council of Libraries.
Since it started, ATALM has continued to hold conferences. Its main goal is to support libraries, museums, and archives run by Native American tribes. It does this through special programs, working together with others, and speaking up for these places. ATALM also works to make sure that Native American nations can keep and protect their own historical documents, special items, and stories in their own tribal memory institutions.
Who Runs ATALM?
ATALM is made up of many tribal memory institutions. It tries to include people from many different Native American nations. This helps make sure the group stays important to Native cultures and keeps a Native perspective.
ATALM has both a board and an advisory council. The current president is Susan Feller, and the administrative vice president is Melissa Brodt. Both the board and the advisory council have members from many different tribes. These members have lots of experience with libraries, museums, and archives.
Planning for the Future
ATALM has a special committee that plans for the future. This committee helps guide the group and makes sure it meets the needs of its members. A lot of their work is based on a study from 2008, done before ATALM officially started.
The planning committee works to get money and create lasting ways to offer programs, speak up for tribes, and provide training. ATALM wants to be strong, grow, and keep helping Native American cultural places for a long time. The strategic planning committee works hard to reach all these goals.
Helping Native Communities
A big part of ATALM's main goal is to speak up for tribal archives, libraries, and museums. It also supports the idea of "cultural sovereignty" for Native Nations. This means Native nations having the right to control their own culture and history.
ATALM holds regular meetings about managing Native knowledge. It also studies how tribal libraries deal with the "digital divide." This is the gap between people who have internet access and those who don't. ATALM also collects many surveys and reports. This helps them understand and better serve the people they help.
Internet Access for Tribes
ATALM did a big study about the digital divide in Indian Country. In 2014, they released a long report and shared helpful information for tribal memory institutions. Getting internet access is very important for tribal libraries. Some areas don't have internet because they are far away or have very rough land. Many internet and phone companies have avoided Native American reservations. They don't think it's worth building internet networks there.
Also, internet service is often slow and very expensive in tribal nations. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) says that less than 10% of tribal land has fast internet (broadband). They even suggest the number might be lower. ATALM's report, "Digital Inclusion in Native Communities," was the first to look at internet access in tribal libraries. It was put together by Miriam Jorgensen, Traci Morris, and Susan Feller. The report provides facts about internet in tribal libraries and on reservations. It also gives ideas for how to improve things and speak up as tribal memory institutions continue to grow.
Studies and Reports
ATALM regularly does surveys and creates reports about tribal memory institutions. Like the "Digital Inclusion in Native Communities" report, these studies use new research. This includes surveys and interviews with people from tribal memory institutions. Many reports also offer advice on how to speak up and suggest ways to improve services or offer more help from ATALM. To stick to its mission, ATALM includes information about Native peoples' rights in its reports on tribal memory institutions.