When we think of libraries, we often see them as caretakers of knowledge which resides on pages, shelves, and in databases exclusively. However, for the members of the University of Alberta Library’s Indigenous Initiatives Team (IIT), knowledge dissemination and conservation have taken the form of a Medicine Garden located outside of Cameron Library. Emerging from ideas of community engagement, with reconciliation and Indigenization efforts at its center 1, the Medicine Garden had…

Have you ever wondered how local political ads have evolved? Or explored historical newspapers to find old relatives’ bowling groups, or marriage announcements? Have you enquired about the cost of a gallon of milk in your town in 1965? Questions like these arise when considering the significance of newspaper digitization. The Drayton Valley Newspaper project The Drayton Valley Newspaper project began in 2023 when Sandra Blades of the Drayton Valley Museum contacted…

This past May, Larry Laliberte, GIS/Maps Librarian, and Bonnie Gallinger Information Services & Maps Specialist curated a unique map exhibit on the 4th floor of Cameron Library; the exhibit was built day by day for 31 consecutive days in the month. Thank you to Larry and Bonnie for writing this guide to the exhibit. We invite you to take some time this summer to explore and engage with these fascinating items on…

To mark Indigenous History Month, we are shining a spotlight on our Indigenous Healing Collection situated on the main floor of the Geoffrey + Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library. This collection encompasses works about the peoples of the land now known as Canada, as well as those from regions where Indigenous cultures were overshadowed by processes like colonization. There is more information about the scope and focus of the Indigenous Healing Collection…