Collaborative stewardship: Sustainable approaches to indigenous knowledge in academic libraries

Abstract

The current study sought to examine the management practices of Indigenous Knowledge Resources (IKR) in college libraires Assam, India and tried to evaluate the various aspects of it based on geographic location. Three different groups of libraries were created as rural, semi-urban and urban. The various management aspects of IKR were divided in four categories based on which questions were prepared, hypotheses were set and responses were collected from 83 college libraries. ANOVA with Levene's statistic was adopted to test hypothesises. The findings revealed distinct regional approaches: while rural libraries prioritize community engagement and partnerships with indigenous organizations, urban libraries focus on digitization and the semi-urban libraries demonstrate a mix of both strategies. Also, regarding challenges, the rural and semi-urban libraries face obstacles in IKR preservation, such as limited resources and infrastructure, nevertheless, these libraries demonstrate a strong commitment to establishing dedicated IKR centres as part of their long-term goals. The study emphasizes the role of academic libraries in promoting social justice, inclusivity, and community engagement through IKR stewardship. Policymakers and funding bodies to support sustainable IKR management, ensuring the preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge for future generations addressing region-specific challenges.