Native American
Heritage Month

Can you tell me more about Native American Heritage Month?

National Native American Heritage Month celebrates the culture, contributions, and heritage of Native Americans. In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.” Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including “Native American Heritage Month” and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”) have been issued each year since 1994.

National Native American Heritage Month is also a time to educate the public about native American tribes, raise a general awareness about the unique challenges Native people have faced, and to illuminate the ways in which tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges.

Reading Lists

Indigenous Peoples of California

American Indian Experiences

American Indian Titles for Kids and Teens

Recent Event

Dr. Klye Mays, Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA discusses the historical relationship between African Americans and Native Americans in the United States, with a specific focus on their shared activism during the Black and Red Power movements.

Watch on Youtube

Native American Heritage Month Book Talks

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we’re sharing weekly Book Talks in November, featuring items in our American Indian Resource Center collection.

2024 Book Talks

Week 4
Crazy Brave
Download Readers Guide

Week 3
Rez Ball
Download Readers Guide

Week 2
A Council of Dolls
Download Readers Guide

Week 1
Rock Your Mocs (Recommended for ages 4-8)
Download Readers Guide

Past Book Talks

Braiding Sweetgrass

Recommended for adults.
Download Reader’s Guide
Request the book

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem
Recommended for adults.
Download Reader’s Guide
Request the book

Just Like Grandma

Recommended for kids 4-8.
Download Reader’s Guide
Request the book

Deb Haaland: First Native American Cabinet Secretary
Recommended for kids 8-13.
Download Reader’s Guide
Request the book

Activity Ideas

Yankton Dakota Artist Mary Sully

Yankton Dakota artist Mary Sully (1896-1963) was a largely self-taught artist known for her modern abstract style of symmetrical geometrical shapes. Create your own inspired artwork with tissue paper using this tutorial video. Contact your local library for related in-person programs and pick up a kit at participating locations. For adults.

Additional Activities

For Kids & Teens:
Native American Heritage Month Resources
Learning About Land Acknowledgements (Teens)

For Adults:

Native Foods and Cooking
Native Lands and Mapping
Native Language Preservation
Native Representation
Native Ledger Art

The American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) at Huntington Park Library was established in 1979 to address informational needs of American Indians in Los Angeles County and to make information about them available to the larger community. Help us transcribe letters from our collection that were recently digitized.

Additional Information

Native American Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month Playlist on Kanopy – A collection of films celebrating and honoring Native American history and heritage.
Native American Heritage Month – Library of Congress website includes the history of the establishment of Native American Heritage Month.
Census Facts, Native American Heritage Month 2022
National Museum of the American Indian – Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) cares for one the world’s largest collection of Native artifacts. NMAI operates 3 facilities and a large outreach department that includes websites, traveling exhibitions, and community programs.

Local Resources
LA County Land Acknowledgment
Short Overview of California Indian History – Written by Professor Edward D. Castillo, Cahuilla-Luiseno, for the California Native American Heritage Commission.
Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission – The mission of Los Angeles City/County Native American Commission (NAIC) is two fold: 1. increase the acquisition and local application of federal funds and 2. represent the special interests and concerns of Native Americans in the Los Angeles City and County. Visitors to the NAIC website can connect to local tribal governments, regional Native American organizations, and various federal and state departments.
UCLA Mapping Indigenous LA

Other Resources
Conversations: Land Acknowledgements
Indigenous Digital Archive’s Treaties Explorer
Native Knowledge 360° – For teachers and students, Native Knowledge 360° incorporate Native perspectives on Native American history and cultures.
National Archives – Native American Heritage
National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
PBS Native American Heritage Collection

Kindle Paperwhite eReader

Welcome to a New Way to Read...

Have you walked into a library and wished you could check out more books than you could possibly carry? Check out a Kindle Paperwhite at participating libraries with a collection of titles that you are sure to enjoy. Each Kindle has been loaded with expert-selected books.

You don’t need internet access - all the books are pre-loaded onto the Kindle so you are ready to read.

Three week checkout
Renew up to 3 times, as long as no one else is waiting
Must be 18 or older (or under 18 with parent permission)
eBooks cannot be added to this device by user

How do I get one?

Visit a participating library to check out or place a hold on a Kindle Paperwhite. Kindles are not sent to other libraries for pick up.
Note: Selection of genres varies per library. Click on a library below to see the list of genres.

Library Locations with eReaders

Click on the library to view list of genres available.

Laptops in this kiosk can be checked out by customers with a LA County Library card in good standing. The laptop is due back in the kiosk before the library closes on the same day it is checked out.

If you do not return the laptop to the kiosk on the same day you check it out, your library account will be charged the full replacement cost of the laptop.

When you check out a laptop from this kiosk, you agree to use it within the library only. If you remove the laptop from the library, you may held criminally responsible for theft of the laptop and/or be charged the full replacement cost of the laptop.

You are responsible for the laptop and you agree that you will reimburse the LA County Library for any damages if the laptop is damaged, lost or stolen while checked out to you.

If you check out a laptop and it is damaged, you will give it to library staff immediately.

You must save to a removable storage device (such as a USB drive) since your work will not be saved to the laptop beyond your current checkout.

LA County Library will not be held responsible for any damage or loss of data or media due to any cause while you are using a laptop from this kiosk.

By using this laptop, you must adhere to the Library’s Acceptable Use Policy. Laptops are available at the following libraries:

Consumer Health Information Program

The Consumer Health Information Program assists the public with medical research by providing information from reliable sources. Customers are invited to use the Norwalk Library collection which consists of books, magazines, videos, and online databases related to health topics. We also provide individualized research services.

Please be aware, we do not provide medical advice, nor are the materials we provide a substitute for a professional medical opinion.

What Can We Do for You?

We can provide you with information on topics such as:

Medical conditions or diseases
Prescription medications
Surgical procedures
General physician and hospital information
Book and website recommendations for further reading

How to Contact Us

Location: Norwalk Library

Phone: (562) 868-4003

Fax: (562) 868-4065

Email: chips@library.lacounty.gov

Online Resources

Health Databases *

Health & Fitness eBooks and Audiobooks *

Family Place

What is Family Place?

A Family Place Library is a center for early childhood information, parent education, emergent literacy, socialization, and family support. Family Place builds on the knowledge that good health, early learning, parent involvement, and supportive communities play a critical role in young children's growth and development. Each Family Place Library features the following core elements:

A bright, colorful, and welcoming space for young children and their parents.
A collection of books, toys, videos, music, and other materials for babies, toddlers, parents, and service providers
Access to resources that emphasize emergent literacy, reading readiness, and parent education.
Developmentally appropriate programming, such as baby and toddler storytimes for younger children and their parents.
Outreach to new and underserved populations.
The Parent-Child Workshop is a five-week workshop featuring local professionals, such as nutritionists, speech and language therapists, and child development experts, who serve as resources for parents.

The first three years of a child's life lay the foundation for learning. Get the tools and resources you need to give your child the best possible start.

Family Place Library Children playing music in Family Place Library

LA County Library Californiana Collection

Accessing the Collection

The Californiana Collection is in closed stacks at the Norwalk Library located at 12350 Imperial Hwy, Norwalk, CA 90650.

About the Collection

The Californiana Collection consists of over 24,000 books and over 200 magazine and newspaper titles in paper and on microfilm as well as a collection of state documents including state and county budgets. The goal of this collection is to present a complete picture of the history, culture, environment and artistic expression of the people of California and to some extent, the western United States.

Collection Highlights

California Census Schedules from 1850 to 1910
Copies of The Alta California newspaper 1849-1891, as well as dozens of other 19th century newspapers from Gold Rush boomtowns, the Owens Valley and San Francisco
The Los Angeles Star newspaper 1851-1879
City directories dating from the 19th century
Official city and county histories from the 19th and 20th centuries
Materials on the Donner Party, California water projects, famous California crimes, Hollywood culture, biographies of Californians, pioneer narratives of the early days of California, and histories of the state written over the course of 150 years