Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
n. (abbr. ATALM)an international nonprofit organization serving cultural organizations focusing on Indigenous peoplesBaxter 2012, 141Directly resulting from that project were the series of national Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (TALM) conferences held every two years since 2002, and the creation of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) in 2011.Fernández and Lewis 2015, 4In 2002, the Arizona State Museum and the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records co-sponsored the first National Conference of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums held in Mesa, Arizona. Soon after, beginning in the mid-2000s, various gatherings took place featuring archival training components. These gatherings laid the early foundations for the organization now called the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums (ATALM). For the past few years ATALM has organized at least one conference or institute each year.Ghosh 2015, 14The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM) is a non-profit organization formed by a group of native professionals in the year 2010, with a vision that every tribal nation will have its own archive, library and museum to house historical photographs, literature, songs, stories, treaties, legal history, ethnographies and traditional information pertaining to each tribe. ATALM provides culturally relevant training and services to the tribal libraries, archives and museums in USA, with major financial contribution received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The five-member governing board and an advisory council are the two main bodies which constitute ATALM. The annual conferences are the important events due to the participation of tribal libraries and similar organizations engaged in up-lifting of indigenous populations. ATALM serves as an advocate for indigenous cultural institutions with tribal leaders, funders and government officials. It supports networking and provides key information for the directors, managers and staff of tribal cultural institutions. It maintains a network of support for indigenous programs, encourages collaboration among tribal and non-tribal cultural institutions and articulates contemporary issues related to developing and sustaining the cultural sovereignty of native nations. ATALM also conducts studies on tribal cultural institutions periodically.Joffrion and Fernández 2015, 193In 2012, the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM published a groundbreaking report that assessed the status and needs of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian cultural heritage organizations.O’Neal 2015, 11This foundational work led to further conferences, trainings, and the eventual establishment of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, which has become the official organization for professional development in this area and fills a gap in specific training for tribal community members working with these collections.ATALM 2020aThe Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums is dedicated to preserving and advancing the language, history, culture, and lifeways of indigenous peoples. On an annual basis, it offers professionally guided learning opportunities to over 2,600 tribal cultural practitioners from 352 Native Nations, as well as online training to an additional 1,432 participants.ATALM 2020bATALM is an international non-profit organization that maintains a network of support for indigenous programs, provides culturally relevant programming and services, encourages collaboration among tribal and non-tribal cultural institutions, and articulates contemporary issues related to developing and sustaining the cultural sovereignty of Native Nations.
Notes
ATALM was established in 2010 in order to build on the first National Conference of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums held in 2002.
