1990
Year that President George H. W. Bush, at the request of Congress, issued a proclamation designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations and variations on the name—including Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month—have been issued each year since 1994.
567
Number of federally recognized tribes, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
1958
Year that the council of the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Arizona created the first tribal library known to exist.
5.4 million
Number of people who identify as American Indian and Alaska Native, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey.
40
Percent of tribal libraries (out of 99 respondents) that don’t have high-speed broadband internet access, according to a 2013–2014 Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums study.
32
Number of fully accredited tribal colleges and universities in the US, according to the Department of Education. All institutions have access to a library either on campus or within the community.
1979
Year that the American Indian Library Association was founded.
5
Number of consecutive years (2010–2014) that Sherman Alexie’s young adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, made the American Library Association’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books list.
