Throughout his career Gordon Yusko worked in and with libraries and the communities they serve, in most regions of BC. For decades, he has volunteered in community-led libraries. He was also Program Administrator at Simon Fraser University’s Indigenous Student Centre.
As a retiree, through Write to Read BC, Yusko continues to work for libraries in isolated communities across the province. He supports the project’s co-leads, Bob Blacker and Dr Shirley-Pat Gale, as they partner with First Nations to install indigenous-led libraries.
Before that, from 2012 to 2019, Yusko served on a program that supports Indigenous community efforts to preserve records that document cultural and social history, as well as Indigenous languages. By 2019 over 35 Indigenous communities had received training and financial assistance through this work. This was a collaboration with Barber Learning Centre, UBC iSchool, Museum of Anthropology, and similar programs in Washington state, USA.
Yusko also helped guide a NOIIE funding partnership for dozens of teachers of kindergarten to grade 12 students. NOIIE, or Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education, supports further education of Indigenous students in culturally sensitive ways.
Write to Read BC’s work has been similarly supportive by equipping the libraries it installs with learning centres that can offer remote attendance at courses and conferences, online.