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.
Explore Open Collections: One Hundred Poets | 百人一首
Posted on May 27, 2015 by Alexandra Kuskowski
The One Hundred Poets Project is online and ready to be explored! Originating from the personal collection of Professor Joshua Mostow from the UBC Asian Studies department, this project was made possible through generous funding from the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO) and collaboration between the UBC Asian Studies department, Asian Library, Digitization Centre, Rare […]
(Star) Crossed Letters: To Digitize or Not to Digitize. That is the Question…
Posted on May 22, 2015 by Alexandra Kuskowski
We’ve talked a lot about how we digitize, but have you ever wondered how we decide what we digitize? There are a lot of criteria for a collections digitization – durability, funding and interest are some – but one criteria point for digitization that is less well known is if the collection will help people […]
How We Digitize: Imaging UBC’s “Gazing at Taishan” poem
Posted on Apr 24, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
We have digitized an original work by calligrapher and painter, Fan Zeng (b. 1938), created when he was in Vancouver in 1980. The piece’s dedication is to the “UBC Asian Centre” (which opened in 1981). Fan’s intention was to create the piece as a gift to the Asian Centre to display within the building when […]
Explore Open Collections: RBSC Bookplates
Posted on Mar 24, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
Bookplates, otherwise referred to as ex-libris (From the books of..), are used to indicate ownership of a book. They are often personalized, artistic and indicative of the time or place of creation. Images of bookplates are from books and collections donated to UBC Library, developed and maintained by UBC’s Rare Books and Special Collections. Check out the […]
Explore Open Collections: Epigraphic Squeezes
Posted on Mar 16, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
Collaborative projects are at the heart of the Digitization Center. Today, we are highlighting the work done with UBC’s Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies (CNERS) and students from the From the Stone to Screen project. From Stone to Screen is a multidisciplinary, open access and collaborative digitization project entirely run by students […]
New Project Announcement: Digitizing PRISM International
Posted on Mar 09, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
We are excited to announce that we will be digitizing issues of PRISM International, Western Canada’s oldest literary magazine out of Vancouver, British Columbia, whose mandate is to publish the best in contemporary writing and translation from Canada and around the world. The digitization project is in partnership with the UBC Creative Writing department and […]
Explore Open Collections: Discorder
Posted on Feb 23, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
In a collaborative effort between the UBC Library Digitization Centre and CiTR 101.9 FM, the Student Radio Society of the University of British Columbia, we have completed digitizing the entire run of the Discorder, a magazine devoted to in-depth coverage of Vancouver’s independent music scene and published by CiTR 101.9 FM. This collection greatly enhances access […]
Ethel Johns fonds Available Online!
Posted on Feb 17, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
Last week we mentioned in a tweet that UBC Library’s Digital Collections site has the records of Ethel Johns, the first director of the School of Nursing at UBC, available online, which includes correspondence, reports, minutes, notes, photographs, drafts of Johns’ unfinished autobiography and related papers, and manuscripts of a considerable number of her articles and […]
Celebrating Families in Our Digital Collection
Posted on Feb 06, 2015 by Emily Chicorli
In celebration of Family Day we are sharing some of our favorite family portraits found within our digital collections. Want to see more? Simply type in “family” in on our digital collections page! Refine your search to only find images within specific collections. Click on the images to see them enlarged. What are your plans […]
How We Digitize: Digital Preservation 2
Posted on Feb 02, 2015 by evanwill
In the last post we looked at Why a digital preservation strategy is necessary. This post outlines a few of the steps we are taking here at the Digitization Centre to enact our preservation goals. Planning for preservation starts at the creation of our digital objects. We need to choose digital formats that are suitable […]
