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.
Langmann Photo Albums Online
Posted on Jul 23, 2014 by Matthew Murray
We announced earlier this year that we were going to be digitizing a huge collection of photos and postcards that were donated to us by local art dealer Uno Langmann. This is quite a large project, but we’ve been diligently working away at scanning images, and creating metadata for each of them! We’re happy to […]
Check out our Impact and Activity Report
Posted on Jul 21, 2014 by Mimi Lam
We are pleased to present the Digitization Centre Impact and Activity Report! The impact and activity report describes the work of members of our unit as well as the relationships built with UBC researchers, students and community partners since the Centre’s opening in March 2011. Some highlights from the report: • More than 500,000 items […]
Memories of the First World War
Posted on Jul 10, 2014 by Matthew Murray
2014 is the centenary of the First World War. The war started in late July of 1914 and commemoration of the war and the people who died will begin at the Bastille Day celebrations in France on July 14th. While there will undoubtedly be more posts about this in the next four years, we figured we’d show […]
A decade of Discorder digitized!
Posted on Jun 25, 2014 by Matthew Murray
A few months ago we let you know that we were going to start digitizing Discorder, the music magazine published by UBC’s community radio station CiTR. Well, we’ve just about completed digitizing every issue from the 1980s (and might well be finished by the time you read this), so we figured now might be a […]
The Power of the Letter
Posted on Jun 24, 2014 by Rob
Letters can provide insights in to the details of lives which have otherwise been documented in the extreme. Case in point, Charles Darwin, regarded as the progenitor of modern evolutionary theory. His work in this area is widely known but he also had many other interests including the study of insectivorous plants such as Drosera […]
Moving Spaces
Posted on Jun 17, 2014 by Matthew Murray
As you might have heard we’ve been planning on expanding into a new space for several months. It finally happened on Friday, and we’re mostly moved in now! Here’s the room we’re moving into. I wish we’d taken some photos when it was just a vast empty white room before the carpet was installed. Here […]
Remembering the Empress
Posted on Jun 11, 2014 by Matthew Murray
We marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, one of the worst naval disasters in Canadian history.
We’ve joined The Flickr Commons
Posted on by Matthew Murray
We’re very pleased to announce that we’ve successfully joined The Commons on Flickr! You can check out the announcement on our blog.
Japanese Card Games
Posted on Jun 05, 2014 by Matthew Murray
Later this year we’re starting a project in partnership with the UBC Asian Library and the UBC Department of Asian Studies to digitize some cool old Japanese game cards! (Ise monogatari utakaruta, from UBC Rare Books & Special Collections) Karuta カルタ, is a borrowed Japanese term (from the Portugese carta) that refers to playing cards. Karuta became popular in […]
Remembering the Empress
Posted on May 29, 2014 by Laura Ferris
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, one of the worst naval disasters in Canadian history. The Empress of Ireland, along with the Empress of Britain, was one of the first steamships that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company launched for its trans-Atlantic route in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the […]
