Special Collections

September can be like an academic new year, with the same opportunity for reflection, self improvement, and goals. One area for potential new school year resolutions is study and writing skills. Developing strong study skills and a polished writing style will not only help you this year, and the rest of your post secondary journey, but also your life and career beyond the University of Alberta. This year in particular, with most…

Last month, in honour of Pride Week 2020, we got together at the Digital Scholarship Centre to talk about Gender & Sexuality Primary Resource collections. Now that most of us are hunkering down to do research at home, we wanted to share those collections online! In the last few decades, research into LGBTQ2S+ studies have grown exponentially. As a result, there are growing numbers of projects which aim to collect materials that…

It is amazing to imagine, but even in the 21st century, there is a book written in a language and script that scholars cannot understand. The Voynitch manuscript is a handwritten illustrated book, dated to the early 1400s. Named for Wilfred Voynitch, a book dealer who acquired the book from Jesuits priests in the early 20th century, the book is now owned by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale. The manuscript…

Bruce Peel Special Collections received wonderful news that judges of the annual University & College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Competition have chosen three of the Peel library’s recently published exhibition catalogues for an Award of Excellence. The judges evaluated 1,060 print and digital entries for excellence in design, illustration, concept, typography, printing, and overall message; and in this year’s competition, they awarded 5 Gold Awards, 12 Silver Awards, and 198 Awards of…