Today we shine the spotlight on authors of Vietnamese ancestry. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War (also known as the American War) and the fall of Saigon in 1975 there was a great exodus and many refugees eventually found their way to Canada. By 1982 more than 120,000 had been resettled in Canada (Canadian Red Cross) – considered our largest humanitarian undertaking to that point.  Many of these families made their…

This December we’re turning our attention towards the Southeast Asian country of Vietnam and some of the wonderful aspects of Vietnamese culture. Vietnam and China have been entwined throughout their histories due to the Chinese Empire’s expansion into Southeast Asia in 3rd Century BC. As a result, Vietnamese culture demonstrates a Chinese influence. Despite this, and the influence of 19th and early 20th century French colonial powers, Vietnam retains a distinctive flavour.…

By Kelsey Kropiniski With final exams being right around the corner, us UAlberta Library workers wanted to drop in with a few mental health and stress relief resources that we offer here at the library!  My name is Kelsey, and I work in Rutherford library as a second-year Masters of Library and Information Studies student. I think it’s pretty safe to say that for most folks here on campus, finals season is…

I have personally been fascinated by the sari. One of my early memories of a fashion piece that mesmerized me, was my mother’s “adapted” sari-styled deep blue attire. With our celebration of India during the month of November, and the place that saris hold in India, I decided to learn a bit more about saris. These are some of the resources that I found on this subject at University of Alberta Library…