We wanted to solve part of the mystery, so we’ve curated an exhibit with some new and exciting additions to our collections.
My name is Clara Giménez-Delgado, and I am a contract Librarian and processing archivist at SCA. Since I was one of the people behind the exhibit design, I would love to guide you through it!
When you approach the exhibit, you’ll notice the display has been divided into six themes.
Among our new zines, you’ll find editions from Microcosm Publishing, covering LGBTQ+ advocacy, feminism, Indigenous topics, and health care.
When you come down to Level 1 of Dana Porter, you’ll find our new exhibit right by the Department’s entrance.
The Indigenous peoples of Canada section highlights two Indigenous language dictionaries (G24750 & F25634), and a series of zines by Indigenous artist Jenna Rose Sands titled “Atrocities against Indigenous Canadians for dummies.”
Zine by Indigenous artist Jenna Rose Sands on Cultural Appropriation.
With arts and crafts, we thought we could share some of our amazing knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, and design magazines, books, and portfolios (GA 474, F25650, & G24031). We even included the result of one of those patterns created by our very own Nicole Marcogliese!
The section about women conquering the work and social spheres covers three collections that show us the lives of working Canadian women in the 20th and early 21st Centuries, with WWI nurse Mabel E. Neiley (GA 473), WWII pilot Bettie Bernice Wilson (GA 465), and science journalist Lydia Dotto (GA 471).
After years as a science journalist, Lydia Dotto became a wildlife photographer, travelling all over and meeting the fluffiest of birds.
In locally sourced materials we’ve selected a few publications from or about the Region of Waterloo and Southern Ontario, including a zine about the Landback Camp at Victoria Park in Kitchener written by members of O:se Kenhionhata:tie (G24752), a book on African-Canadian Dance in Southwestern Ontario (G24823), and issues of “The Voice” (HD9424.C2 V65x) and “Dutch Girl” (HD9424.C2 D88x) published for the employees of J. M. Schneider Inc. (learn more about the Schneider family collection).
When tackling the area women’s etiquette and birth control, we wanted to portray how much controversy there has always been around the topic. The book How to Win and Hold Love was published in 1925 and tells a very skewed and restrictive interpretation of how women should behave in public settings. The selected pamphlets on birth control add to our holdings on the topic demonstrating how it has never really been out of public opinion pieces or conversations -- not even in 2022!
Did you know that in Canada many birth control promotors were protestant priests who would send pamphlets and information to families in Canada?
As you can see, there is much to discover in our new exhibition and behind our doors! If you’d like to learn more about any of these or any other type of materials, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can find reference numbers for the materials in the exhibit and throughout this text. But you can always check the Archives Database, the Waterloo Digital Library, or contact us at archives@uwaterloo.ca.
This exhibition wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic and continuous work of everyone in SCA who worked collaboratively to select, describe, and make accessible the new materials. I would like to give an especially emphatic shout-out to Sue Plouffe (Library Associate) and Elena Tkachuk (co-op student) for their work and support to make this exhibit informative, thoughtful, and cohesive.
Working as a nurse during the II World War and 1918 Influenza Pandemic didn’t stop Mabel E. Neiley from enjoying social activities. Always in a stylish way, of course.
