Most Natives I know, myself included are happy to share our perspective as natives living in the modern world.
I really wouldn't suggest books since they are generally heavily edited and don't accurately portray the everyday issues that face the indigenous population today.
As far as protocol goes, it varies depending on tribe, community, event, etc. Many tribes have information regarding proper etiquitte for visitors published on their websites.
There are over 550 tribes in this country, each with distinctly different cultures, customs and languages, so there won't really be any one answer, however, I find that common courtesy, common sense and the good ol' Golden Rule (treat others as you'd like to be treated) can take you a long way.
We all have our own culture. Think of how you'd want someone to approach you if they had those same questions about your heritage and experiences.
I know there can be a lot of haters on these forums and I do applaud your putting yourself out there. Many natives are reluctant to answer questions from non natives because we've been burned so many times before, however your questions don't seem to deal with tradition or culture, so I don't see how anyone would get too bothered by them. I, for one, always appreciate it when non natives ask respectfully what they can do to help improve the relationship between our peoples.
I'm only speaking for myself, so here goes.
The biggest problems I face out in the "modern world" is the fact natives are still seen as some kind of novelty. Nobody ever just comes up and says "hi" and just talks to us like we're regular people. They always talk about their Cherokee great grandmother or start right in asking a bunch of questions about our culture or hair or clothing. Other people get to talk about music, movies, news, family.. they get to crack a joke or two, go have coffee, check out a metal show or whatever. Natives are always expected to talk only about culture and to despense "wisdom." So, in my experience, the best thing to do when you meet a Native person is to treat them like any other potential friend. Ask them what you'd ask any other person. I, for one, get tired of being treated like a research subject. There's so much more to me than my heritage. I'm a musician, artist, mom, fiance, comedian, smartass, calligrapher, comic book enthusiast, nerd, geek, dork, cat lover, horror writer, goth, metalhead girl with just as many facets, interests and hobbies as any of my non native friends. While I am proud to be Native, that doesn't begin to define me as a person.
When we can step outside of our "race" and learn to appreciate ALL the facets that make us who we are, we open ourselves to discover the interests, passions, hobbies and experiences we share instead of the skin color we may not.
I hope this helps. :-)
