news.library.ualberta.ca
  • BLOG HOME
  • About
    • Author Profiles
    • Five Things You Need to Know About the Library
    • Five Things to Know About University of Alberta Library – Online Edition
  • Collections
  • Community
  • Wellness
  • Français
news.library.ualberta.ca
  • BLOG HOME
  • About
    • Author Profiles
    • Five Things You Need to Know About the Library
    • Five Things to Know About University of Alberta Library – Online Edition
  • Collections
  • Community
  • Wellness
  • Français

Community

    Searching the University of Alberta Archives: Using Discover Archives

    by Guest Author March 23, 2023
    written by Guest Author

    A couple of months ago we introduced you to the University of Alberta Archives and some of the ways you can search our holdings. Today Archives Assistant, Maryna Chernyavska take a deeper dive into the Discover Archives database. 

    About Discover Archives

    Discover Archives is an online archival database that allows you to discover what archival materials are housed at the University of Alberta Archives (UAA), Bruce Peel Special Collections and the University of Alberta Library. While it does not contain the archival materials themselves, it may contain digital copies of images or file inventories.

    To the novice user, Discover Archives can be confusing as it contains terminology and descriptive information that is not usually present in a library catalogue. Archives acquire materials based on who created them, not by subject, so they describe them by creator as well, be it a person, family, or organization. The highest level of archival description is the fonds, which refers to a group of materials created organically in the everyday life of a person or organization. This is in contrast to a collection, which is an artificial accumulation of materials based on subject. 

    Browsing Discover Archives

    All the ways you can browse

    If you are curious about the UAA holdings, but not sure where to start, you may want to try browsing Discover Archives. Browsing by Description will list all top-level descriptions of materials by default – usually fonds or collections. Users can refine this list by the repository, creator, subject, and a number of other filters. The list is automatically sorted by title in the ascending alphabetical order, but this can be modified as necessary. Alternatively, users can browse by People/Organizations who are normally creators of materials, Subjects, Places, etc. The browsing options are available on the top left of the homepage, and the Browse button is always in the top menu wherever you are on the website. 

    Browsing By Repository

    Browsing by Repository will provide both the contact and background information for each repository and list its top level holdings. A search of that repository’s holdings can be done using the search bar available within the Repository description.

    Searching a repository’s holdings

    Searching Discover Archives

    The Discover Archives Search Bar

    To search Discover Archives, users may type the search term in the search bar in the top menu. This simple search bar is always there wherever you are in the database. It will search all repositories that use the database, and search all metadata: descriptions of archival materials, their creators, and even within the attached PDF files. You can also search by the name of the person or organization who created the records, such as “Peter Lougheed” or “Department of Political Science”. For example, searching for musical theatre yields 46 results that span multiple repositories: 33 of them housed at the Archives, and nine at the Bruce Peel Special Collections. These results may be refined further using the facets on the left, or users may click directly on a description located on the right.

    Quick search tips

    • Enter a word or phrase (e.g., music) into the search box to receive more broad results and then narrow them down by using the filters on the left.
    • Search terms entered in the search box are, by default, searched with an “AND” operator. This means that searching for musical theatre will return all results to do with musical AND theatre.
    • Use quotation marks to find exact terms, phrases, and reference numbers for best results: “musical theatre”
    • Use a multiple character wildcard: searching for theat* will find theatre, theater, and theatrical.
    • Use Advanced search to search within a specific field such as Title, Creator, Scope and Content, or to construct complex searches. It can be accessed by clicking in the Search field.

    Accessing the Advanced Search
    The Advanced Search Form

    Did you know?

    Discover Archives is based on software called Access to Memory or AtoM for short. It is used by many archival institutions in Canada and beyond. For example, the City of Edmonton Archives (https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca/), University of Calgary Archives (https://searcharchives.ucalgary.ca/) , Provincial Archives of Alberta (https://searchprovincialarchives.alberta.ca/), many provincial archival databases including Alberta On Record (https://www.albertaonrecord.ca/) all use AtoM. Once you learn how to search materials in Discover Archives, you will be able to efficiently search many other archives.

    March 23, 2023 0 comment
    0 FacebookTwitterEmail
  • Click&Push adds Cameron Library to “The Atlas”

    by Guest Author March 21, 2023
    by Guest Author March 21, 2023

    This post was written by Click&Push Research Coordinator, Sydney Hampshire Recently, the University of Alberta Library (UAL) partnered with local startup, Click&Push Accessibility Inc. (C&P), to create an indoor accessibility map of Cameron Library on North Campus. C&P are the builders of the mobile phone app, The Atlas.  The Atlas was built to help pedestrians navigate the outdoor built environment. It is a community-sourced, voice-interactive navigation app. The Atlas empowers digital citizens…

  • Hidden Gems: Edmonton Queer History Collection

    by Emily Zheng March 14, 2023
    by Emily Zheng March 14, 2023

    The University of Alberta Library offers access to numerous resources that are core for certain disciplines, but also really deserving of wider attention. Here is one of those gems… The Edmonton Queer History Collection features 2SLGBTQ+ community magazines, newsletters, and items of historical significance in and around the Edmonton area.  The collection is an ongoing collaboration between the University of Alberta Library’s digitization services, MacEwan University Library, and the Edmonton Queer History…

  • Gender-Inclusive Language in Academic Writing

    by Emily Zheng March 9, 2023
    by Emily Zheng March 9, 2023

    This post was originally posted in March 2021. Although many of our language conventions are nested in the gender-binary, language is not fixed or set in stone. Language is―and has always been―fluid. As people of all gender identities become more visible in our world and on our campuses, it’s increasingly important that we adapt academic writing conventions to include everyone.  As we mark another UAlberta Pride with celebration and activism, let’s also…

  • Explorer nos collections : Femmes artistes canadiennes

    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 8, 2023
    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 8, 2023

    Parcourir les rayons de la bibliothèque de l’Université de l’Alberta peut être un peu compliqué. Nous avons huit bibliothèques réparties sur quatres campus pour vous servir! Vous avez également accès aux ressources physiques dans les bibliothèques NEOS. Si vous cherchiez par où commencer ? Cette exposition de livres virtuels touchant un sujet particulié est un échantillon pour vous aider à amorcer. Au début du XXe siècle, les femmes artistes canadiennes ont rarement…

  • Browsing our collections – Canadian Women Artists

    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 7, 2023
    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 7, 2023

    Browsing the library shelves at the University of Alberta Library can be a fairly daunting process. We have eight library locations spread across three campuses! Where to begin? We also have access to physical resources at our partner NEOS libraries. This virtual book display touches on one subject and is a sampling to get you started. Canadian women artists in the early 20th century were rarely given the same recognition as their…

  • Learning and celebrating the French language! 

    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 3, 2023
    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 3, 2023

    March is the month of “La Francophonie” celebrating French language and culture in Alberta and beyond. Did you know that more than 10 million people across Canada speak French? In our province 261,435 Albertans speak French and more than  380,000 persons are of French or French-Canadian heritage (according to 2021 Census data). For all french speakers and francophiles out there the key to acquiring and maintaining language skills lies in daily practice…

  • Apprendre et célébrer la langue française ! 

    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 3, 2023
    by Elisabet Ingibergsson March 3, 2023

    Mars est le mois de la Francophonie, qui célèbre la langue et la culture françaises en Alberta et ailleurs. Saviez-vous que plus de 10 millions de personnes au Canada parlent français ? Dans notre province, 261 435 Albertains parlent français et plus de 380 000 personnes sont d’origine française ou canadienne-française (selon les données du recensement de 2021). Pour tous les francophones et francophiles parmi nous, la clé de l’acquisition et du…

  • Supporting University of Alberta Research: ORCID Support Contest

    by Sonya Leung March 1, 2023
    by Sonya Leung March 1, 2023

    At the University of Alberta Library, we prioritize supporting the University of Alberta’s research. From discovery to publication and beyond, the library is actively participating in all aspects of your research, including reducing administrative burden. As such, we are presenting all University of Alberta Researchers with a unique, one time opportunity to win clerical support to populate your ORCID record. Whether you are a new researcher, just starting to publish your work…

  • OPEN EDUCATION TALKS 2023 

    by Guest Author February 28, 2023
    by Guest Author February 28, 2023

    This post was written by Joana Mazumder Let’s celebrate Open Education Week 2023 this March with a month-long event – the Open Education Talks series. Beginning on the 1st of March, Open Education Talks offers weekly lunch-hour lightning presentations about the role of open education in post secondary institutions. Building on the success of last year’s Open Pedagogy Talks, this series creates another chance to share and learn about recent projects, challenges…

Newer Posts
Older Posts

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018

Categories

  • Awards
  • Borrowing
  • Collection Connection
  • Collections
  • Community
  • Digital Collections
  • Digital Scholarship Centre
  • Dogs in the Library
  • Events
  • Exhibits
  • Français
  • News
  • Special Collections
  • Staff
  • Wellness

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube

@2020- University of Alberta Library
The University of Alberta is situated on traditional Treaty 6 territory and homeland of the Métis peoples. Amiskwaciwâskahikan / ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᕀᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ / Edmonton


Back To Top