Explore unique highlights from UBC’s Open Collections, as well as insights into the work of the Digitization Centre. From announcements of new projects and collections to behind-the-scenes looks at our digitization process, we share the stories and hidden gems that inspire us in our efforts to preserve and make accessible diverse materials.
Meet Norman L. Kwong (林佐民): A Remarkable Chinese Canadian Icon
Posted on Jun 11, 2024 by Lauren Wong
Norman L. Kwong’s path to becoming a significant figure in Canadian sports and society as a Chinese Canadian speaks volumes about resilience and breaking barriers. In this week’s blog post, we will explore his remarkable life, including the challenges he faced and the success he achieved. Early Life and Challenges Norman Kwong (far right, front […]
Mining in British Columbia
Posted on May 28, 2024 by Lauren Wong
In this week’s blog post, we’ll take a brief look at the history of coal mining in British Columbia and its impact on the region’s industrial landscape. All the materials featured in this post can be found in our open collections. Please feel free to click the captions underneath the photos attached to this blog […]
Exploring Japanese Travel Narratives in Tokugawa Era
Posted on May 14, 2024 by Lauren Wong
This week’s blog post explores the fascinating world of Japanese travel during the Tokugawa period (1603 – 1868), both within Japan and beyond its borders. All materials shown in this blog post are from our Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa Era Collection which is available through Open Collection. 1. Seiyū ryotan (西遊旅譚) [A Diary of […]
Wildfire Prevention in B.C. Historical Newspapers: 1904-1981
Posted on Apr 30, 2024 by Jillian
A comparatively warm and dry winter here in British Columbia has experts predicting a bad year for wildfires across the province. While wildfires have always been a natural part of British Columbia’s seasonal cycle, increasing seasonal average temperatures and decreased precipitation are contributing to longer, more widespread and more destructive wildfire seasons, with four of […]
Dinner Menus from the 1930’s-50’s
Posted on Apr 16, 2024 by Jillian
This week’s blog post is a selection of dinner menus from the Chung Collection, which is held at UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections. The Chung Collection contains many materials including travel pamphlets, itineraries and menus from the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, which was a large enterprise that dealt in railway and non-railway transportation […]
Open Collections Highlight – Historical Children’s Literature Collection
Posted on Apr 02, 2024 by Jillian
The Historical Children’s Literature Collection contains eighty-five works of children’s literature spanning from the late 18th to late 19th Centuries. The collection is a collaboration between UBC’s School of Information, Department of English Language & Literatures, Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) and Digitization Centre. The physical materials are from both RBSC’s historic children’s literature […]
How a Composer was Reunited with a Long-lost Score
Posted on Mar 19, 2024 by Jillian
It’s not every day that you hear of a librarian reuniting a composer with their long-lost work. Incredibly, this is exactly what happened when a paper score that needed some TLC was brought to UBC Music Librarian Kevin Madill late last year. I spoke with Kevin, who is the Music Librarian at UBC’s Music, Art […]
Vintage Travel Pamphlets from the Chung Collection
Posted on Mar 05, 2024 by Jillian
Canadian Travel Pamphlets from the Chung Collection: Since the weather in Vancouver has been less than appealing as of late, I decided to peruse the travel pamphlets available through UBC’s Open Collections as a way of experiencing a vicarious vacation. This blog post will highlight some of the travel pamphlets from the Chung collection. These […]
Family Photographs in Open Collections
Posted on Feb 20, 2024 by Jillian
Family day is observed each year on the third Monday in February in most provinces across Canada. In British Columbia, the holiday was adopted in 2013 and was originally observed on the second Monday of February. This was the case until 2019, at which point the province moved the holiday to the third Monday of […]
B.C. Historical Books Highlight – Pacific Crest Trails from Alaska to Cape Horn (1948)
Posted on Feb 06, 2024 by Jillian
CW: the book contains some outdated, racist, and derogatory language. “You rest in the forest against a form-fitting log. Your eyes are narrow pools, your mood, dreamy lassitude. Your whole body is inert but receptive. The murmur of a distant waterfall comes alive; birds twinkle, twitter, chirp, and sing; the air you breathe has a […]
