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.
Canadian Pacific Railway hotels in B.C.: Part 2
Posted on Jan 29, 2019 by Kelly Stathis
This two-part series features some of the earliest Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) hotels in British Columbia. Many of these hotels have since closed down but formed an important part of early Canadian railway history. You can view Part 1 here. In previous blog posts, we profiled the two largest surviving CPR hotels in B.C.: Hotel […]
Canadian Pacific Railway hotels in B.C.: Part 1
Posted on Jan 22, 2019 by Kelly Stathis
This two-part series features some of the earliest Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) hotels in British Columbia. Many of these hotels have since closed down but formed an important part of early Canadian railway history. In previous blog posts, we profiled the two largest surviving CPR hotels in B.C.: Hotel Vancouver and the Empress Hotel. Mount […]
Explore Open Collections: Uno Langmann British Columbia Postcards
Posted on Jan 15, 2019 by Kelly Stathis
The Uno Langmann Family Collection of British Columbia Photographs contains postcards, family photo albums, and ephemera from the 1850s through the 1970s. The collection of over 18,000 photographs was donated to UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections by Uno and Dianne Langmann. A portion of these photographs have been digitized and are accessible through […]
Fauna boreali-americana
Posted on Jan 08, 2019 by Kelly Stathis
In the early 19th century, the Scottish naturalist and explorer John Richardson traveled with Sir William Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage. He recorded the scientific findings of these expeditions in two works: Flora boreali-americana (1833-1840) and Fauna boreali-americana (1829-1837). The latter is a four-volume text about the animals of North America and the […]
Explore Open Collections: PRISM international
Posted on Jan 01, 2019 by Kelly Stathis
Established in 1959 and published quarterly, PRISM international is the oldest literary magazine in Western Canada. Through a partnership with the UBC Creative Writing Department, UBC Library digitized all back-issues of PRISM in 2015. The full archive is available in Open Collections. All issues are available with a one-year embargo – so, consider subscribing to […]
Happy Holidays from the Digitization Centre!
Posted on Dec 25, 2018 by Kelly Stathis
In the spirit of the holiday season, enjoy these wintery images from Open Collections. Check out these beautiful photographs of a snowy UBC campus, from the UBC Archives Photograph collection: From the Chung Collection, this 1928 Canadian Pacific Railway Company menu advertises various winter sports in Banff: Also, check out this ski holidays […]
The Empress Hotel
Posted on Dec 18, 2018 by Kelly Stathis
The iconic Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, is prominently featured in the Chung Collection. The Empress Hotel was designed by architect Francis Rattenbury in the “Chateau style” (also known as the Châteauesque style). This was an architectural style based on French Renaissance architecture common to many of the grand railway hotels. Because the Empress […]
Discorder in December: winter concerts in Vancouver
Posted on Dec 11, 2018 by Kelly Stathis
UBC Library’s Open Collections has made available the entire run of Discorder, the magazine of CiTR 109.1 FM. Issues date back to 1983 and include articles, album and concert reviews, interviews, radio show lists, advertisements, comics, and more. New issues continue to be added to Open Collections. We were curious about shows in Vancouver throughout the […]
John Latham’s birds
Posted on Dec 04, 2018 by Kelly Stathis
John Latham (1740-1837) was an English doctor and naturalist, famous for his work in ornithology. He was particularly known for his study of Australian birds, brought to England and observed on James Cook’s colonial expeditions. Latham published A general synopsis of birds over the years 1781-1785, with supplements published in 1787 and 1801. A general […]
Exploring The Herball in UBC Library’s Open Collections
Posted on Nov 27, 2018 by Kelly Stathis
A herbal is part of a genre of books that features lists of plants with accompanying descriptions of their properties. John Gerard’s The herball, or, Generall historie of plants (1597) is a quintessential 16th century example. The text drew from earlier herbals: it was commissioned as an English translation of a Dutch herbal, Rembert Dodoens’ […]