Salina Bookshelf

Salina Bookshelf is an independent publishing company based in Flagstaff, Arizona, focused on producing and distributing books in the Navajo language, also known as Diné Bizaad. The company was founded in 1994 by brothers Eric Lockard and Kenneth Lockard, who grew up among Navajo communities and became fluent in the language despite not being native Navajo speakers. Their background gave the company a distinctive cultural and linguistic position within American publishing. The publisher concentrates primarily on works for children and teenagers, while also producing educational materials that support Navajo-language learning. Its catalog includes books written in Navajo and bilingual editions that place English and Navajo together. This publishing model serves both fluent speakers and learners, including young readers, families, teachers, and schools seeking culturally relevant language resources. Salina Bookshelf has been described as the only Navajo-language publisher in the United States. Its work therefore extends beyond ordinary commercial publishing: the company contributes to the visibility, teaching, and intergenerational transmission of Diné Bizaad. By publishing reading materials for younger audiences, it helps make the language available in formats that are familiar to contemporary students and families. Among the company's cited publications are a bilingual edition of the children's book Who Wants to Be a Prairie Dog? and Diné Bizaad Bínáhooʼaah, a Navajo-language textbook. The textbook was officially adopted by the state of New Mexico in 2008, an indication of its use in formal educational settings and of the publisher's role in supporting Navajo-language instruction. The company has remained a small specialist publisher. Reference material describes an operating staff of six full-time employees and three translators. This compact structure is consistent with its focused catalog and the specialized editorial, translation, and cultural knowledge required for Navajo-language publishing. Salina Bookshelf's significance rests less on scale than on its concentration in a rare publishing segment: educational and literary materials that support the continued use of Navajo in print.

Salina Bookshelf was established in 1994 in Flagstaff, Arizona, by Eric Lockard and Kenneth Lockard. The founders were teenagers at the time and had grown up among Navajo communities, acquiring fluency in Navajo even though it was not their first language. Their linguistic experience and familiarity with Navajo cultural surroundings shaped the company's publishing mission from its beginning. The company developed as a specialist publisher rather than a general-interest house. Its principal focus has been Navajo-language books, with an emphasis on works for children and teenagers. The catalog also includes bilingual publications that combine English and Navajo, making the books useful to both established speakers and readers developing their language skills. This focus places Salina Bookshelf within a small but important area of American publishing concerned with Indigenous-language literacy and cultural continuity. Salina Bookshelf's educational role is illustrated by Diné Bizaad Bínáhooʼaah, a Navajo-language textbook. The textbook was officially adopted by the state of New Mexico in 2008, demonstrating that the company's materials could be used beyond informal or family reading and incorporated into public education. The publisher has also issued a bilingual version of Who Wants to Be a Prairie Dog?, extending Navajo-language reading into children's literature. The company has been identified as the only Navajo-language publisher in the United States. That distinction reflects the narrowness of its specialization and the limited number of commercial publishers producing books in Diné Bizaad. It also means that Salina Bookshelf occupies a distinctive place in the infrastructure supporting Navajo-language education and readership. Reference material describes the business as having six full-time employees and three translators. The small team reflects the specialist nature of its work, which depends on translation, language knowledge, editorial preparation, and culturally appropriate publishing. Rather than expanding into a broad commercial publishing portfolio, Salina Bookshelf has maintained its identity around Navajo-language and bilingual materials, especially those intended for younger readers and educational use.

• 2008

  Navajo-language textbook adopted in New Mexico

  [1]Salina Bookshelfen.wikipedia.org

  Diné Bizaad Bínáhooʼaah is officially adopted by the state of New Mexico as a Navajo-language textbook.

• 1994

  Salina Bookshelf is founded

  [1]Salina Bookshelfen.wikipedia.org

  Eric Lockard and Kenneth Lockard establish the publishing company in Flagstaff, Arizona, with a focus on Navajo-language materials.

A specialist, culturally focused publisher serving Navajo-language literacy, education, and children's reading.

• Bilingual children's book

  Who Wants to Be a Prairie Dog?

  A children's title published in a bilingual English–Navajo edition. It represents Salina Bookshelf's effort to provide accessible reading material for younger audiences while placing Navajo alongside English in the same publication.

• Language textbook

  Diné Bizaad Bínáhooʼaah

  A Navajo-language textbook intended for language education. Its official adoption by the state of New Mexico in 2008 indicates use in a formal educational context and makes it one of the publisher's most prominent documented titles.

1. 1Salina Bookshelfen.wikipedia.org