History and Mission of the NIGA Library and Resource Center:

History

The NIGA Library and Resource Center was created in response to an increasing interest in the social and economic impacts of Indian Nation governmental gaming on Indian nations and surrounding communities. National interest in Indian Nation governmental gaming became particularly pronounced during the two-year tenure of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), a Federal Commission charged with conducting a comprehensive study of gambling in America. One of the six focus areas of the NGISC was Indian Nation governmental gaming. Between 1997-1999, when the NGISC was conducting its study, NIGA was inundated with requests for basic information regarding Indian gaming’s history and impacts. It became clear at that time that Indian Nations and NIGA needed to be at the forefront of articulating the impacts of their gaming facilities in order to educate the Commission, policy makers, the media, researchers and even political opponents regarding the benefits of Indian gaming.

The idea to establish a formal Library and Resource Center at NIGA was first proposed by Jacob Coin, NIGA’s Executive Director for much of the NGISC’s research period. In 1999, Mr. Coin secured support from the NIGA Chairman and Executive Committee and raised the start-up funds for the NIGA Library. He also hired NIGA’s first Director of Research, Dr. Katherine Spilde, a cultural anthropologist who had staffed the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, to build the Library and establish research connections with scholars and other gaming experts.

Mission

This mission of the NIGA Library and Resource Center is to serve as the Nation’s  premier source of information regarding Indian Nation governmental gaming in order to educate the media, scholars, researchers, policy makers and other interested parties about the historic economic and social benefits of Indian gaming. The NIGA Library and Resource Center also acts as a clearinghouse for NIGA’s member Nations and associate members in order to support Indian Nation testimony before Congress and to support Indian Nation media outreach and public education initiatives. To fulfill its mission, the NIGA Library and Resource Center participates actively in the academic, political and industry debates surrounding Indian Nation governmental gaming by producing research products that contextualize and highlight Indian gaming as a unique industry. In addition, the NIGA Library and Resource Center strives to fulfill responsibilities and obligations to other groups and organizations to enhance the position of Indian Nation governmental gaming nationally.

Four Components of the NIGA Library and Resource Center:

The NIGA Library and Resource Center is comprised of four main components:

(1)  The NIGA Library is housed in NIGA’s Headquarters at 224 2^nd Street, SE, Washington, D.C. The Library contains hundreds of books and impact studies on Indian Nation governmental gaming, a complete collection of Tribal-State gaming compacts, treaties, tribal testimony and a large video collection.

(2)  The NIGA Website (www.indiangaming.org/library) offers a searchable database of books and impact studies on Indian Nation governmental gaming, a monthly newsletter with updates about the latest gaming research, a comprehensive set of links to Websites, and answers to frequently asked questions.

(3)  The NIGA Speaker’s Series is held quarterly at NIGA’s Headquarters. The Speaker’s Series provides an interactive forum where researchers can both present and answer questions regarding new data on Indian gaming’s impacts.

(4)  The NIGA Survey of Indian Nations is an on-going project to document the myriad impacts of Indian Nation governmental gaming on NIGA’s 168 member tribes across the United States.

The NIGA Library and Resource Center would like to thank Rick West, John Bodinger de Uriarte and Jonathan Taylor for participating in the NIGA Speaker’s Series 2000. The NIGA Library and Resource Center would also like to thank Leigh Gardner, NIGA Research Assistant, for her support in producing the 2001 NIGA Library Bibliography.

Ordering Information:

To order studies from the NIGA Library and Resource Center, Please call NIGA at (202) 546-7711 or use NIGA’s on-line ordering form at www.indiangaming.org/library. 

Written by Kate Spilde, Ph.D. January, 2001