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: H. Bullock-Webster fonds
Posted on May 29, 2012 by slindber
Sketches of the Canadian west by H. Bullock Webster (1855-1942). As a young man he came to Canada from England and began working as an apprentice clerk for the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1874. While in the service of the company Webster travelled extensively to HBC posts throughout northern Alberta and British Columbia. Although never […]
Disaster Prints
Posted on by slindber
Woodcuts by unknown authors from “Disaster Prints,” a part of the Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa Period digital collection. UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections holds one of the world’s largest collections of maps and guidebooks of the Japanese Tokugawa period, ca. 1600-1867. Most of this collection was acquired from George H. Beans, the original collector, and […]
William Fraser Tolmie
Posted on May 17, 2012 by slindber
A brief (and almost fawning) biography and impressive etching of William Fraser Tolmie from British Columbia Pictoral Biographical printed by the British Alaskan Boundary Tribunal, 1903. In addition to the quality of the etchings, typography and illuminations in this volume, the DI team was struck by this image due to the remarkable likeness Mr. Tolmie bears to our […]
Klondike Gold Rush
Posted on by slindber
Photographs from the Klondyke Souvenir published by H.J. Goetzman in 1901 depicting pioneer life and the Klondike gold rush from the upcoming B.C. Bibliography collection. Images contributed by the University of Northern British Columbia. If you are looking for more related Klondike gold rush resources, please visit this blog post: British Columbia, the Gold Rush and […]
Illustrated Victoria
Posted on May 15, 2012 by slindber
Illustrations of Victoria BC from Souvenir British Columbia by the Canadian Department of Agriculture, 1885, and Souvenir of British Columbia: Views No. 1, printed by T.N. Hibben & Co., 1880 (respectively). The full volumes and many other illustrated and photographic “souvenirs” of early BC will be featured in the upcoming BC Bibliography digital collection. Both images […]
Know Your Enemy
Posted on May 08, 2012 by slindber
Second World War era Japanese poster depicting allied bombers from UBC Rare Books and Special Collections’ David Conde fonds. David Conde was born in Ontario. He moved to the United Sates in the early 1920s and became an American citizen in 1932. In 1945/1946 Conde worked for the U.S. State Department during the occupation of […]
Vancouver, 1880
Posted on May 07, 2012 by slindber
Souvenir of British Columbia, No. 1 printed by T.N. Hibben & Co. circa 1880. Look for lots more photographs of historic Vancouver in the upcoming B.C.Bibliography Collection!
Birds’ Eye View: UBC’s Planning Stages
Posted on Apr 30, 2012 by slindber
Hooper was one of the original bidders for the construction of the University of British Columbia, and while this European-style campus plan was never made a reality, the sketch, along with the rest of the original submissions, persist in the UBC Library Archives.
Chinese Canadian Stories
Posted on Nov 07, 2011 by goritsas
History is full of amazing stories—of triumph and of loss, of laughter and of tragedy, of hope and of bitterness. But so many stories have been forgotten or ignored. The stories of Chinese Canadians have either been left out of our history, or the stories we hear are often about the terrible things that were […]
British Columbia Historical Newspapers
Posted on Oct 11, 2011 by goritsas
Search and view B.C. community newspapers published from 1865 to 1924. The British Columbia Historical Newspapers Collection makes 24 of B.C.’s earliest newspapers freely available in digital format for the first time! http://historicalnewspapers.library.ubc.ca
