Valarie Kingsland

Alaskan. Inupiaq. Wife. Mother. Librarian. Volunteer. Curious. Reader. Lifelong Learner. Hope. Green Tea.

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Little Free Library--Program Manager

Promoting book access and literacy in the United States and Canada through the Impact Library Program and Indigenous Library Program with a team at the Little Free Library nonprofit with more than 150,000 book exchanges registered worldwide and growing.

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Bridging Knowledge: Supporting Indigenous Scholars into the Field of Librarianship--Advisory Board & Mentoring Program

2021-2024 IMLS grant-funded project providing funding for 15 American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian graduate students to earn MLIS degrees with a Digital Asset Management certificate in partnership with the San Jose State University iSchool.

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INTERESTS

Access. Literacy. Inclusive. Participatory. Community. Education. Indigenous Information. Combined Archives, Libraries and Museums. Problem Solver. Supporting Communities of Practice among libraries and cultural institutions.

Valarie believes in the transformative power of libraries, their contribution to community development through service and engagement, and the opportunity information technologies present to sustain culture and provide access to Traditional Knowledge.

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NOTABLE BOOK MEMORY

Tales of Ticasuk by Emily Ivanoff Brown is special to me because she was both the first writer and the first Indigenous author I ever met, which left me in awe as a child.

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PHILOSOPHY

If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.