IK: Other Ways of Knowing 1(1): i 2015

Welcome to the first issue of IK: Other Ways of Knowing

From the Dean

It is my pleasure to introduce the first issue of the journal, IK: Other Ways of Knowing. The Interinstitutional Center for Indigenous Knowledge (ICIK) publishes this journal in conjunction with the Penn State University Libraries. ICIK was established at Pennsylvania State University in 1995 to promote communication among university faculty, staff, students, and townspeople who share an interest in the diverse local knowledge systems found in our changing world. ICIK also brings locally generated knowledge into the academy and supports collaborative IK research through grants and networking.

ICIK is an active and collaborate platform for advancing the world’s knowledge through presentations, publications, awards, and student engagement. ICIK spans many colleges, curricula, and the University Libraries at Penn State. Researchy awards to encourage Penn State student research using some aspect of indigenous knowledge are also given.

IK: Other Ways of Knowing advances Penn State’s evolving role to expand the universe of scholarship and creativity using indigenous knowledge perspectives to inform new ideas, transform the curriculum, and solve the world’s problems. Papers published in the journal encompass indigenous knowledge revealing alternative ways of knowledge creation in a highly transformative, networked, and global environment. The current and future content of IK: Other Ways of Knowing underscores the imperative to leverage and identify the full array of the world’s knowledge in its many forms and preserve it for many generations to come.

Barbara I. Dewey, Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications, Pennsylvania State University