Blog

Hi, I’m new here

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 by Danielle Robichaud

My name is Danielle. I started work as Digital Archivist with Special Collections & Archives on February 1st. Part of my role will be thinking through how to share digitized selections from our holdings online. It’s going to take some time, but the upside for you is being able to enjoy the results from the comfort of your home, couch, bed, wherever – it’s completely your call!

staff

Digital Archivist

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Make It Kitchener

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 by Martha Lauzon

One fine morning last November, a gentleman named Eric Rumble walked through our door, looking for pictures for an exhibit he was curating for the City of Kitchener, called Make It Kitchener. The exhibit featured modern images reflecting the city's economic development strategy coupled with similarly themed images from its past (that's where we came in.)

archives

photographs

Kitchener

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The Great Water Tower Caper

Monday, February 8, 2016 by Martha Lauzon

In 1958, 3 students at the then-called Waterloo College Associate Faculties (now the University of Waterloo) climbed the water tower on Lester Street, and painted the word BEER on the side of the tank.

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History 250 class visit to Special Collections & Archives

Tuesday, February 2, 2016 by Nick Richbell

Special Collections & Archives is committed to student success and we support faculties and departments in class or in library instruction using our collections. One example of this recently took place when we welcomed Professor Ian Milligan’s class (HIST 250) from the department of history to Special Collections & Archives. The class was divided into 2 groups; one group visited us while the second attended a session led by the library’s history librarian Jane Forgay, about research strategies, tools, and library services.

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Fore-edge paintings

Wednesday, January 27, 2016 by Martha Lauzon

A fore-edge painting is one done on the edges of a book's pages, so that the painting is only visible when the pages of the book are fanned.

18th century literature

Sardinia

hydrography

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WS101, meet Elizabeth Smith Shortt

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 by Martha Lauzon

Last term, Special Collections & Archives received 150 Women's Studies 101 students to help us transcribe the notebooks of Alice Riggs Hunt.

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Red Riding Hood

Monday, January 4, 2016 by Martha Lauzon

I hope everyone had lovely holidays! Down in Special Collections & Archives, we are all rested up, and are welcoming in 2016 by featuring a lovely shape book of stories and nursery rhymes, published by Ernest Nister in the 1890s.

books

children's literature

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Les oeuvres spirituelles de Monsieur de Bernieres Louvigni

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 by Martha Lauzon

Today's blog post features a rather interesting item that we've been including in displays for years.

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Fire!

Monday, December 14, 2015 by Martha Lauzon

Golf's Steak House opened in 1976, at 598 Lancaster St. W. in Kitchener. The building was designed by W.H. Breithaupt in 1903, and was originally occupied by the Bridgeport Casino. Special Collections & Archives also holds the blueprints for the casino.

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Journal of a party of pleasure to Paris in the month of August, 1802

Monday, December 7, 2015 by Martha Lauzon

Sir John Dean Paul (1775-1852) was an English Neo-Classical artist, specializing in bucolic scenes and horses. He became the first Baronet of Rodborough in 1821.