Imposter syndrome in academic libraries: Indigenous women edition

This is a written proceeding of the LACUNY 2022 panel presentation “Imposter Syndrome in Academic Libraries: Indigenous Women Edition”. The authors discuss personal instances and feelings of the imposter phenomenon (also known as imposter syndrome) as it may relate to their Indigenous identities. Additionally, the authors describe how imposter syndrome may affect their ability to be successful in their careers, and the internal pressure they feel to present a more Indigenous identity (whatever that may entail) for scholarship and positions. The authors also share their experiences with external pressures to exhibit a more “stereotypical Indigenous” appearance for the sake of their role as Indigenous library staff members, peers, or when applying for academic opportunities and how this relates when interacting with other Indigenous people through their work. They speak on the recent developments in academia in terms of hiring Indigenous peoples and avoiding pretendians (people who falsely claim to have Indigenous ancestry). The goal of the authors is to encourage discourse in the vein of Truth and Reconciliation and spreading awareness about imposter syndrome