The Crane Library: The History of UBC’s Accessible Library for the Blind
This week in advance of National AccessAbility Week 2026, we are taking a dive into Open Collections to trace the history of the Crane Memorial Library, UBC’s library for the blind and partially sighted – and the remarkable people who made it happen. This post is part of a short blog series inspired by National […]
Asian Heritage Month 2026 – Asian Canadian Collections Round-Up!
In honour of Asian Heritage Month, we are rounding up 6 of our best collections that tell the stories of Asian Canadians in Canada and beyond. Over the years Open Collections has digitized multiple collections that deserve to be highlighted.
Punjabi Patrika : Local Newspapers as Windows into the Past
Local newspapers show what life was like at the time. They report on everyday events and issues, showing what people cared about. Ads and editorials reveal social values, the economy, and popular trends. They also reflect the opinions and biases of the people who wrote and read them, while showing how communities changed over time. […]
Tracing the History of Sandon Ghost Town through UBC’s Open Collections
Have you heard of Sandon, a historic former silver mining town, now known as a ghost town? If you’re traveling through the Kootenay region these days, it’s definitely one of the most popular heritage tourism sites to visit. As you set out on a scenic wilderness drive, winding along a rugged and twisting road, you’ll […]
Around the World with Canadian Pacific Railway Travel
Travelling and tourism are prominent topics in the Chung Collection. The collection contains more than 10,000 archival items, including documents, photographs, books, and other artifacts. Many of these materials relate to travel through the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and offer fascinating glimpses into British Columbia’s history. They reveal traces of the province’s early commercial and […]
New Westminster: Buildings That Endure and Those That Vanished
If you love exploring historic photographs and imagining the stories behind them, you may have noticed that information about old images is often scarce, and much of what we know may survive only in local archives or through community memory. Yet, these photographs remain powerful windows into the past, inviting us to rediscover forgotten stories. […]
Bloedel Limited Fonds, Part 2: The Powell River Company
Last week, we took a brief look at the origins of the Powell River Company. You can read that post here. To recap: The Powell River Company Ltd. operated from 1909 to 1959 and was once considered one of the largest forest products companies in the world, producing newsprint, paper, lumber, panelboard, and containers. This […]
Bloedel Limited Fonds, Part 1: The Powell River Company
In 2016, we briefly explored the MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. and its predecessor, the Powell River Company Ltd., which you can read here. A quick recap: MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. began in 1909 as the Powell River Paper Company Ltd. Over the years, it became one of the largest forest products companies in the world, producing newsprint, […]
A Closer Look at the Conservation and Digitization of Shakespeare’s Second Folio
This blog post was written by Lauren Wong, with invaluable help and advice from Chelsea Shriver, Rare Books and Special Collections Librarian of UBC Library. In 2023, the Digitization Centre completed the digitization of Shakespeare’s First Folio, making it more accessible to people worldwide. We previously wrote a blog post about this achievement, which you […]
Menus from the Chung Collection : Banff Springs Hotel
This week we are time-traveling through taste. Our spotlight is on the legendary Banff Springs Hotel, a Chateau-style hotel perched in the Rockies that has been delighting visitors for more than a century. Built during the golden age of Canadian railway travel, this iconic resort was more than just a place to stay, it was […]