Three questions with new Policy Advisory Council representative Kim Dickson

Kim Dickson is the Director of Library Services at Bezhigoogahbow Library, Leech Lake Tribal College. She is in her first three-year term representing Tribal College Libraries on the Policy Advisory Council. Representatives may serve up to two terms.

What got you interested in library work?

During the 2020 COVID pandemic, I was the Learning Center Director at Leech Lake Tribal College. We were put in a work-at-home status in mid-March and our college was in the middle of filling the Director of Library Services position. I worked with a few library friends, and they pointed me in a direction where I was able to write in for some emergency grants to get some laptops and hotspots for our students. I started doing all things for the library at this point and enrolled in an MLIS degree program and was appointed interim librarian at my college. I have been the Director of Library Services for three years now and completed my MLIS this past spring.

How do you feel your current organization and the staff you work with make a difference in your community?

There are many things that our Tribal library does for our community. We host meaningful exhibits, such as "We Are Water MN," that showcase our culture with voices, panel boards, and guest speakers. We try to invite as many local area schools as possible to our events, as well as Head Starts, our local tribal council, and our elders. We have fun reading events, crafting events, and book giveaways.

How do you hope to be a voice for your constituency on the Policy Advisory Council?

I hope to be the voice of the Tribal College librarians in Minnesota. As an Indigenous librarian and person, I am honored that I will be able to learn from others on the Policy Advisory Council and then will be able to share this knowledge with other TCU librarians.