The Digitization Centre’s work is housed online in Open Collections, with projects organized into collections. Occasionally, objects are digitized alone or in a small group, and these are placed in Special Projects—our own home for wayward items. Being a bit of a grab-bag, it is one of our favourite places to explore and gain insight on the breadth of the UBC collection.

This Debussy piano score has some great marginalia, including a date of 1913 on the front and many playing notes throughout- including some comments about a co-performer.

The digital copy of the Tu Fu poem “Gazing at Taishan” has only been seen 45 times in Open Collections- a truly beautiful work.

This map, with the verbose name of “Fraser River and Burrard Inlet surveyed by Captn. G.H. Richards, assisted by Lieutt. R.C. Mayne … [et al.], H.M.S. Plumper 1859-60 ; Burrard Inlet by Mr. W.J. Stewart by order of the Government of the Dominion of Canada, 1891 ; engraved by J. & C. Walker” has a most enjoyable fold-up bit in the corner.

This 1890 map of Vancouver goes both local and global: many façades of buildings found downtown, but also a world map so you know where Vancouver is in relation to everywhere else, I guess?