By Cora Coady | February 12, 2025
In a collaborative effort to support Indigenous students and their learning experiences, York University Libraries’ (YUL) has opened the Miinkaanensing (pronounced mee-ni-kahn-en-sing) Indigenous Reading Room.
Located in Room 202E of the Scott Library, Miinkaanensing is a new space that offers Indigenous students and researchers a quiet space to gather and engage with Indigenous resources.
The idea for the room dates back to library renovation plans undertaken in 2018, and the 2022 arrival of Cora Coady, Indigenous teaching and learning librarian. Notably, in 2023, Coady conducted interviews with Indigenous students to learn more about their needs and experiences with the library. During those conversations, Indigenous students spoke about the lack of Indigenous representation in the library and identified the need for a quiet space to engage with materials that would not be recolonized.
After discussions with the Dean of Libraries office, a subcommittee of YUL’s Indigenous Action Working Group – made up of library staff and faculty – collaborated with York's Indigenous students and undertook plans to create a room that would meet Indigenous students’ needs. “We prioritized the students' needs in the conceptualization of the space,” says Coady. “There were several open areas that we had looked at, but the students had identified a need for a quiet and private space where they could engage with Indigenous resources. We tried to honour the knowledge and experiences they shared in our design of the space.”
An important part of the process was ensuring the room had an appropriate name. “Indigenous spaces should be gifted Indigenous names and there isn’t any other area of the library that has an Indigenous name,” says Coady. She reached out to Susan Dion, York’s associate vice-president Indigenous initiatives, who connected her with Ninaatig Philip Staats Pangowish, an Indigenous language keeper. He gave the room the name Miinkaanensing, meaning “at the seed,” which is meant to represent the growth and potential that is on the horizon for the relationship building between the Indigenous community and the library.
This initiative aligns with YUL’s Strategic Plan and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, promoting inclusive and equitable education and reducing inequality.
It is also responsive to York's 2024 Indigenous Framework Six Year Review Report that states it is important for Indigenous students to have dedicated spaces where “Indigenous people can gather as a community, engage with each other and feel that moment of recognition.”
The room is now open for bookings and there will be a formal opening celebration later this year. Currently, Miinkaanensing offers space for individuals or study groups up to 10 people and features a small collection of current Indigenous resources. There are plans to further develop it as a pilot project with, for example, the additions of a listening station and Indigenous artworks. Indigenous student feedback will be critical for improving the space, and students are invited to visit Miinkaanensing and share what improvements and adjustments can be made.
“We hope to continue to co-design the space with students by exhibiting their art on the wall and adjusting it to their needs based on the feedback we receive,” says Coady. “Most of all we hope Miinkaanensing grows into an oasis for Indigenous students and researchers looking for a peaceful place to engage with resources that can sometimes take a heavy emotional toll.”
Those interested in learning more about Miinkaanensing, visiting the room or providing feedback, are encouraged to reach out to Coady by email at ccoady@yorku.ca.
With files from Alex Wong
Originally published on YFile.