There are many terms that have been used to describe Indigenous peoples in library catalogues over the years - some are current, respectful, and accepted, while others are outdated, incorrect, or harmful. Indigenous and First Peoples are some of the most commonly used terms in Canada. However, if you are referring to a more specific group of Indigenous people (First Nations, Inuit, or Métis), that would be the appropriate terminology to use. Depending on the information you are looking for, you may want to be even more specific (Coast Salish, Haida, etc.), but be mindful that you may not find quite as many resources this way.

In order to find the resources you need at VCC Library, you could also try searching with terminology that is outdated (and sometimes disrespectful). For example, two subject terms used frequently in our Library catalogue are Native Peoples Canada and Indians of North America. These are commonly used in academic libraries, even though they don't accurately reflect the current language used to describe Indigenous people in Canada today. Newer resources are starting to use the subject term Indigenous Peoples.

We are currently working to change this aspect of our library system and apologize for hurt this may cause. However, some of our resources, especially the older ones, are most easily findable with outdated search terms. In the near future, we hope to replace these with subject terms that are more respectful and representative of Indigenous peoples.

Finally, be careful about alternate spellings: for example, Nisga or Niska or Nisga'a. Find the most resources by searching for all the different spellings together using "or": Niska OR Nisga OR Nisga'a

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask a staff member to help out!