Here at the Digitization Centre we are fascinated and excited by the vast amount of primary-source material that our digitization work exposes us to. Whether a document of historic significance, a beautiful illustration, or even a particularly fine typeface, we are frequently amazed by the materials we’re working to share with the world. So much so, that not only will we crowd around to ogle a particularly interesting specimen, but we’ve started decorating our workplace with copies of some of our favorites. But why stop there? Surely, we can’t be the only ones geeky enough to appreciate such “gems” in our collections, and so we’ve decided to share them here with you. Below you will find some of our favorites, hand-picked by staff from both existing and upcoming collections. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
TIP: To view full resolution versions of the images on any size screen, click to view in Open Collections.
New Item on Open Collections: House book of the wife of Archibald McDonald, Chief Factor, Hudson’s Bay Company, Fort Qu’Apelle
Posted on April 13, 2021 by stuart hill
Recently, in response to a patron request, a new item became available on UBC Open Collections: UBC Library Digitization Centre Special Projects. “House book of the wife of Archibald McDonald, Chief Factor, Hudson’s Bay Company, Fort Qu’Apelle” was stored on a microfilm reel at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections. Initially, the microfilm proved difficult […]
The Digitization Centre Impact Report 2019-2020
Posted on November 3, 2020 by stuart hill
Hot off the press it’s the 2019-2020 Digitzation Centre Impact Report! This report highlights key activities of the Digitization Centre over the past year including: new and highlighted collections, software enhancements and upgrades, and user engagement statistics. With over 219,000 users accessing Open Collections, engagement grew substantially from last year’s 190,000 visitors. While the majority […]
Disease and treatment in BC
Posted on October 20, 2020 by stuart hill
The feature photograph of this collection, showing students being vaccinated against polio in the 1950s, illustrates the culmination of a concerted effort to eradicate a debilitating disease that had affected Canada since the early 1900s (Canadian Public Health Association). While this photograph is from the BC Archives Photograph Collection editions of the Ubyssey from […]
B.C. Healthcare on Open Collections
Posted on October 1, 2020 by stuart hill
As we continue to push through the COVID-19 pandemic many questions are raised. What pandemics have affected British Columbia in the past? What was their effect? How were they dealt with? We might wonder what the health care system was like over a century ago. We might be tempted to see what hospitals existed […]
Nelson Daily News Goes Online
Posted on August 26, 2020 by stuart hill
Cover page from the prosperity and development edition, 1907 <https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0382636> Though it’s old news by now, phase one of the digitization project to make copies of the Nelson Daily News available online was completed this spring. In partnership with the rights holder, Touchstone Nelson, and using microfilm from the BC Archives, over 60 microfilm reels […]
Host Your Next Virtual Meeting with Backgrounds from Open Collections
Posted on April 28, 2020 by margot chen
Like many of you, we are spending a lot more time on virtual meetings here at the Digitization Centre. For this post, we’ve compiled a bunch of backgrounds from Open Collections that will refresh your space and make your next video call, online lecture, or virtual party more fun. From the Uno Langmann Family Collection […]
Gardens on UBC Vancouver Campus
Posted on April 21, 2020 by margot chen
Now that spring is in full bloom, you may miss strolling around UBC Vancouver and soaking up the greenery. So for this post, we’re taking a virtual tour through the campus gardens. Nitobe Memorial Garden Designed by Kannosuke Mori, a renowned landscape architect from Chiba University, Japan, Nitobe Memorial Garden highlights a sense of harmony […]
A Thank You to Healthcare Workers
Posted on April 15, 2020 by margot chen
In this post, we have compiled a few historical images of healthcare workers from the Open Collections. We wanted to take this opportunity to send out our thanks to the tireless nurses, doctors, and all the other healthcare workers who are working hard and saving lives—today and every day. The following images from the World […]
Celebrate National Poetry Month
Posted on April 7, 2020 by margot chen
April is National Poetry Month. We’ve gathered some poetry and related items from Open Collections for your enjoyment. UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections has 250 posters concerned with the advocacy for peace, equality and harmony during the Vietnam War era from the University of California’s Berkeley campus and other regions in the San […]
Open Collections Reading List
Posted on March 31, 2020 by margot chen
During this challenging time, we’d like to share a bit of comfort with you, so we’ve compiled a list of leisure readings from the Open Collection. Enjoy! Travel For the time being, most of us should stay at home and help to keep our communities safe. But this is also a good time to gather […]
