Common Reading 2022-23: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did this guide's content come from?

Eight UO Libraries librarians contributed content to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 guides. The librarians are working in collaboration with the UO Common Reading Program and colleagues at other institutions.

How are librarians working to help users better understand this content?

Librarians at UO are serving on the Common Reading Selection Committee and the Common Reading Programming Committee. Librarians partner with disciplinary faculty to teach lessons related to the CR in classes at UO, and plan events, exhibits, and create resources that also relate to the CR selection.

Why does this potentially harmful content exist on the guide?

Researching in a library or archive can be a traumatic experience for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. In this guide, we have endeavored to highlight indigenous activists in the US and Canada; however, we cannot only focus on the inspiring stories without also including some of the tragic historical events that have decimated native populations on this continent and around the world.

A note on language

As with the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Common Reading guides, we capitalized Indigenous on this guide when writing about people and tribes. See also the Common Terms in Native American & Indigenous Studies information on the Introduction page of this guide.

Who contributed to this guide?

 The Librarians who worked on this guide are listed below. We would like to also acknowledge L. Marie Avila (Anishinaabe) for sharing her experiences and wisdom with UO Libraries. Please check out her Braiding Sweetgrass guide at the University of Kansas.

• Bronwen K. Maxson, Coordinator, Undergraduate Engagement & Instructional Services
• Miriam Rigby, Social Sciences Librarian

We'd also like to acknowledge UO Libraries' Diversity Committee, the Common Reading Program, and other stakeholder units and departments on campus who reviewed the 2021-22 and 2022-23 guides.

• UO Common Reading Program
• UO Common Reading Stakeholders
• Ann Shaffer, Music and Dance Librarian
• Dean Walton, Science & Technology Outreach Librarian
• Kathy Stroud, David and Nancy Petrone Cartographic and Spatial Data Librarian
• Kevin McDowell, History, Political Science, & Japanese Studies Librarian
• Jeff Staiger, Literature Librarian
• Heghine Hakobyan, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Librarian