In response to the priorities of tribal librarians, archivists, and museum curators, SLIS, the iSchool at UW-Madison, Omar Poler and an advisory council of tribal cultural workers originated the idea of Culture Keepers Gatherings. The gatherings take place in tribal communities with culturally relevant, hands-on learning opportunities, including community tours, cultural events, daylong classes, and group planning sessions.

Since 2010, the iSchool has worked with tribal partners and other organizations to facilitate the Convening Culture Keepers mini-conferences and Convening Great Lakes Culture Keepers, funded respectively by the UW-Madison Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment and the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. While initially designed for Wisconsin tribal cultural workers, the gatherings grew to include Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin tribal librarians, archivists, and museum curators. After taking a break for several years, the iSchool partnered with WiLS, the Nicolet Federated Library System, and Ho-Chunk Nation to bring the gathering back to Wisconsin in 2024. 

The Culture Keepers Collective, run by WiLS, has both an advisory group and a gathering planning committee.