As a means of maintaining momentum after the formal Culturally Safe Libraries Program, NSLA members in Australia agreed to run an Indigenous cultural capability audit for five years from 2021.
The intention of the audit is to hold one another to account in making necessary improvements to policies and practices involving First Nations staff, visitors and collections. The audit is also designed to help fulfil NSLA’s obligation to the broader library sector – as sector leaders and according to commitments under the UN Sustainable Development Goals – to transparently demonstrate and promote cultural capability. The audit has been designed to reflect the ATSILIRN Protocols.
From 2023, the audit was adapted to include both Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. For this reason, we have adopted the term ‘First Nations’ in reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori peoples.
