UNews - MIKE PERRY

Dr. Dorothy Lampard Reading Room established through historical contribution

trevor.kenney — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 22:58:36 +0000

A voracious love of the written word and a lifelong pursuit to quench this thirst for knowledge has led to an historic gift to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Library.

Dr. Robert Lampard, a physician who practiced in Red Deer for 26 years, is donating his 6,774-item Western Canadian book collection to the U of L Library, where a large portion of the gift will be added to Special Collections and housed in the newly renovated rare book room, the Dr. Dorothy Lampard Reading Room. Named in honour of Lampard’s aunt, a founding faculty member and U of L senator, the room is a celebration of her lifelong commitment to reading.

“The broad scope of the collection will provide western Canadian researchers with a wealth of information about early Canadian exploration, the Arctic, mountaineering, early Canadian railway development (especially Sandford Fleming), western Canadian banking and business history, the political and religious history of the prairie provinces, native studies, the HBC, railways, ranching, the fur trade, local history, the Canadian military and policing, natural history, geology and Canadian art,” appraises Barbara Ellis, owner of The Edmonton Book Store and a member of the National Archives Appraisal Board of Canada.

The gift includes a complete series of the Champlain Historical Society publications, all the volumes of the Hudson’s Bay Record Society, and many seminal primary narratives of the exploration of the Canadian Arctic. Approximately 50 monographs have been signed by their authors. Other materials of note include those from John Palliser, Henry Youle Hind, Paul Kane, George Dawson, George Gladman, Alexander Begg and George Simpson.

"We are very grateful for the generosity of Dr. Robert Lampard in making this important donation to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library, and for his entrusting the care of these significant historical materials to us,” says Dr. Chris Nicol, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ librarian. “This extensive, formerly private collection, will now be accessible to a wide audience of researchers at all levels. Members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Department of History are particularly captivated by the opportunities that this unique collection will afford in the furtherance of Canadian historical research, particularly from the perspective of graduate education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.”

Lampard describes a childhood surrounded by book-lined shelves in his home as one impetus to his love of the written word.

“With a grandfather who was a Presbyterian minister, an aunt whose specialty was reading, and a mother who read to you at bed time, the foundation was laid,” he says.

While he read consistently as a youth, Lampard says he put it aside while studying medicine. When a serious knee injury threatened his mobility, he rediscovered books and reading, beginning with the Rocky Mountains.

“If you can’t climb, you can read about those who did,” says Lampard. “Then, a friend introduced me to the Champlain Society and I became one of only five Alberta members. It wasn’t long before the mountain theme spilled onto the plains. My interest became a disease, and every trip involved searching the local book stores.”

Now a collector, he sought out complete collections, from Sanford Fleming’s Surveys for a CPR mountain pass (eight volumes), to Richard Gordon’s Ralph Connor novels (30 books), to Grant MacEwan’s 49 books. In 1979, a former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta medical research associate offered Lampard the complete Champlain Society volumes dating back to 1905.

It was not long before his collection totaled more than 4,000 volumes and had taken over the indoor swimming pool in his home.

“The question of what do you do with it arose,” says Lampard.

Just under two years ago, he contacted professional librarian and U of L Archivist Mike Perry, whose interest was piqued. Given a chance to review the collection, Perry is inspired by how it will impact the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ going forward.

“This generous gift from Dr. Lampard has already had many positive repercussions,” says Perry. “It has made our Special Collections a destination for students and other researchers in a number of areas. It has increased our ability to preserve and protect the collection and having the collection stay in Alberta, and accessible to the public through the opening of the Dr. Dorothy Lampard Reading Room, is fantastic. In a hundred years, it should provide just as much excitement as it does now.”

Lampard says the gift gives him comfort, knowing that it honours his remarkable aunt all while continuing a legacy of reading and literacy.

“I am pleased and honoured that now other researchers will have access to the key historical prairie books dating back to the first one by the British Parliament in 1749,” he says. “The “chase” is now over and my avocation now has a new and welcoming home.”

Oral history project celebrates U of L’s 50th anniversary with 50 Voices

caroline.zentner — Wed, 11 Jan 2017 16:29:31 +0000

The 50 Voices oral history project has woven a tapestry of perspectives about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge over the past 50 years. From the early days, when Dr. Van Christou (LLD ’84) worked to convince the provincial government of the need for a university in Lethbridge, to the turn of the century, when Dr. Bryan Kolb was shocked but pleased by then-president Dr. Howard Tennant’s promise to construct a neuroscience building, the project captures the U of L’s impressive emergence as a leading university.

Undertaken as an anniversary project, the Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) wanted to portray a diverse assortment of voices—faculty, staff, students, alumni and administrators—in the 50 Voices project. COHT was still in its infancy when it adopted the project to commemorate the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s 50th anniversary. Dr. Jenna Bailey, a post-doctoral fellow with COHT, suggested the idea as she had been involved in a similar project at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Sussex.

Dr. Dennis Connolly is one of the people featured in the 50 Voices oral history project

The 50 Voices project committee, which includes Professor Emeritus Dr. Jim Tagg, Dr. Chris Hosgood, Dr. Heidi MacDonald and U of L archivist Mike Perry, brought Tracy McNab (BASc ’81, MA ’09) on board as project manager to begin planning for 50 Voices. The beauty of oral history is that it provides a way to tell a story from multiple perspectives, something that befits the U of L’s beginnings.

“I don’t think a traditional top-down narrative suits the U of L; it was a grassroots university,” says McNab.

“The two best features of oral history are highlighted in this project,” says MacDonald, a U of L history professor and COHT director. “First, oral history allows us to interview people from a variety of walks of life and I think we’ve come through. Second, the richness of oral history allows the participants to interpret the event as they saw it.”

After McNab set up the terms of reference and the study had been approved by the Human Subject Research Committee, the difficult process of selecting interviewees started. They built on the interviews done by Tagg for the First Generation Oral History Project. They wanted an equal number of men’s and women’s voices. After seeking help from the U of L’s 50th anniversary steering committee and numerous other constituencies, names started pouring in and, once the 50 had been chosen, invitations were sent.

“They were thrilled to be asked. Only one person declined our invitation in favour of someone else in the department they thought would be more representative,” says MacDonald. “Tracy deserves an awful lot of credit for that; oral history is all about relationship and communication.”

Students were also involved in the process, whether conducting interviews or transcribing them. In addition to Jenna Bailey, who served as a consultant on the project, Johanna DeVisser, Diane McKenzie, Nicole McMullan and Jasmine Saler conducted the interviews, transcribed them and chose representative excerpts for the 50 Voices website. Levi Balen photographed the interviewees and edited photos for the website.

“It was amazing and I really enjoyed working on the project,” says Diane McKenzie (BA ’16), a graduate student who conducted 13 interviews for 50 Voices. “The people I interviewed were fantastic. They are so interesting and have accomplished so much in their lives. This project is a great way to capture the U of L’s history.”

A theme that emerged from the interviews was that the U of L was a community from its very early days. That’s a sentiment that Sheila Matson, one of the 50 Voices, agrees with. Matson, who joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in 1968 as support staff in the Registrar’s office, says the U of L was like a second home—a place where she felt welcomed and safe, had adventures and was encouraged to grow.

“I was a kid when I started and it’s wonderful to still be around this place,” says Matson. “I feel like I have a real history here. My first husband, Grant Pisko (BASc ’70), and my current husband, Alan Matson (BASC ’71, BEd ’77), are both alums. My son Matt (Pisko) (BSc ’97) and my daughter Lindsay (Pisko Ganske) (BA, BMgt ’01) studied here and worked as lifeguards at the pool. Our family has really been linked with the U of L.”

The full interviews will be deposited in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives and will be available on the web through the library for generations of students, community members and scholars in the years ahead.

“This is truly a legacy gift for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ,” says Perry. “By acquiring, preserving and making this project available to the wider community, the 50 Voices Oral History Project will make a lasting contribution to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s historical record.”

“The interviews provide context and emotion and the result is an account with breadth and depth,” says McNab.

50 Voices research project gathering steam

caroline.zentner — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 18:26:13 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, as central as it is to the fabric of southern Alberta, means something different to each person who has walked its hallways.

What better way to commemorate the U of L’s 50th anniversary than by giving those who have been part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s journey the chance to tell their stories? That’s the idea behind the 50 Voices research project by the Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT), led by Dr. Chris Hosgood, a historian and co-chair of the 50^th anniversary steering committee, Professor Emeritus Dr. Jim Tagg, Mike Perry, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ archivist, Dr. Heidi MacDonald, a history professor, and Tracy McNab, project manager.

“There’s not one story of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says MacDonald, COHT director. “The great thing about oral history is that people interpret their own experience. The goal here is diversity.”

“The objective is to attain a richness and multiplicity of voices,” says McNab (BASc ’81, MA ’09). “We’re looking for voices from all populations, including students, professors, staff, community members, and alumni. We want to include everyone, from the movers and shakers to the ones we should know about but don’t. We want to get a flavour of what the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has been like these last 50 years.”

Tagg has already captured some of that flavour in the interviews recorded for the First Generation Oral History Project. Those interviews focused on the formative years at the U of L and include such gems as the story of how Dr. Dennis Connolly, a longtime mathematics professor, joined the ranks of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Connolly found himself stranded in Lethbridge in April 1967 when a blizzard shut down travel across southern Alberta. He knew nothing of Lethbridge then; it was merely a stopover on his way from Yellowstone National Park to Banff.

“I’ve never seen so much snow in my life. It was five feet of snow within a day or two. They were feeding cattle with helicopters,” he says.

Being stuck in a motel, Connolly found a copy of the Lethbridge Herald and read an article about the new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ opening in a couple of months. With nothing else to do, Connolly made his way to the college campus to have a look.

“I put in an application,” he says, adding he thought he’d work for a year or two before doing a doctoral degree. “I thought it would be a new start and I’d be a professor all of a sudden.”

Excerpts from some of the First Generation recordings will be used in the 50 Voices project, complemented by additional interviews with other voices, like that of Sheila Matson, a U of L employee since 1968. She started in the registrar’s office when the U of L was still in its infancy.

“It was a really cool time. We were in little trailers over on the south side just at the corner where you turn to go the Enmax Centre,” she says. “I’m a people person and the thing I’ve loved about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is interacting with faculty and staff and students.”

Matson has been an administrator in almost every department on campus, from anthropology to student awards, and she’s watched the U of L become the dynamic place it is today. She didn’t hesitate to participate in the 50 Voices project.

“I was absolutely stunned, first of all, to even be asked. It’s a remarkable undertaking, especially for the 50 Voices to represent the diversity of this place,” says Matson. “I feel thrilled and very proud to be asked to contribute.”

To ensure a breadth of voices is included, the 50 Voices final project will feature equal numbers of interviews with men and women, represent all of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s constituency groups and cover the entire U of L timeline.

“We want a variety of stories from all walks, so the process is extremely difficult. We have literally tens of thousands of people from whom to choose. It’s been a tough job for us,” says MacDonald.

“It’s a considered effort and a lot of work has gone into looking at the people who have been brought forward. We’ve had suggestions from all over and we are still accepting suggestions,” says McNab.

Since 50 Voices is a research project, approval from the Human Subject Research Committee was sought and granted. Students are involved in the project through Applied Studies placements. In addition to selecting excerpts from the First Generation interviews, they will participate in interviewing new subjects. The end result will be a webpage with a photo of each participant, a short biography and a link to an audio excerpt from their interview. The interview excerpts will be less than five minutes long, but the full interviews will be available through ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives.

“Through these interviews we’re also building sources and preserving materials for future scholars,” says MacDonald. “Oral history, more than other kinds of history, is democratic and grassroots, bottom up. It shows that history is completely dependent on one’s perspective. We don’t believe in a single narrative. We think 50 Voices will, to some extent, give 50 histories.”

Suggestions are welcome and can be submitted by email to tracy.mcnab@uleth.ca.

Oral History Project brings the past to life

david.kirby — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 15:31:23 +0000

The late English writer Rudyard Kipling once reflected, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students Karissa Patton (BA ’13) and Maria Livingston would likely agree with that observation.

U of L master’s student Karissa Patton (BA ’13) and undergraduate student Maria Livingston are investigating the past as part of the Oral History Project. (Photo by Leslie Ohene-Adjei)

Last summer, Patton, who is now pursuing a master’s degree in history, and Livingston, a third-year Native American studies student, worked together on the Oral History Project, a story-gathering initiative supported by the U of L Art Gallery, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives and the Centre for Oral History and Tradition.

Today Livingston continues to be involved in the project, which is aimed at helping people to enhance their understanding of artist Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) and his unique connections to First Nations communities. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has a vast collection of de Grandmaison artwork and artifacts, including 67 original pastel portraits that were donated to the U of L Art Gallery by BMO Financial Group earlier this year along with funding to support research related to the art gift.

A cultural icon of southern Alberta and one of the most important portraitists of First Nations people, de Grandmaison was a nomadic painter who often stayed with ranchers, farmers and aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His work not only documented the history of First Nations people in Canada, but was also unmatched in its ability to capture the unique personalities of those who sat for portraits.

With guidance from U of L archivist, Mike Perry (MEd ’06), and professor Lisa Doolittle of the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts, Patton and Livingston contacted members of the Kainai, Siksika and Piikani First Nations, searching for and interviewing people who may have had contact either with de Grandmaison or any of the subjects featured in his paintings.

“Collecting individual narratives is important because people aren’t writing things down as much as they once did. Also, the stories that have been included in historical archives in the past have often just been those of famous people and politicians,” says Patton.

To ensure the full range of stories compiled in the oral history project are shared for years to come, Livingston is now working on an educational program for high school students and an online resource for middle school students. The initiatives are a way of giving back to First Nations communities and youth, says Livingston, who is of Cree heritage.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to work on this project,” she says. “Along with hearing great storytelling, I’ve learned more about First Nations culture and history, and that complements what I’ve been learning in school.”

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ officially launched the Centre for Oral History and Tradition on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at the Galt Museum & Archives. To view the news release, follow this link.

Oral History Project brings the past to life

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:38:48 +0000

The late English writer Rudyard Kipling once reflected, “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students Karissa Patton (BA ’13) and Maria Livingston would likely agree with that observation.

Karissa Patton, left, and Maria Livingston are helping to bring the past to life through the Oral History Project.

Last summer, Patton, who is now pursuing a master’s degree in history, and Livingston, a third-year Native American Studies student, worked together on the Oral History Project, a story-gathering initiative supported by the U of L Art Gallery, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives and Centre for Oral History and Tradition.

Today, Livingston continues to be involved in the project, which is aimed at helping people to enhance their understanding of artist Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) and his unique connections to First Nations communities. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has a vast collection of de Grandmaison artwork and artifacts, including 67 original pastel portraits that were donated to the art gallery by BMO Financial Group earlier this year along with funding to support research related to the art gift.

A cultural icon of southern Alberta and one of the most important portraitists of First Nations people, de Grandmaison was a nomadic painter who often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His work not only documented the history of First Nations people in Canada, but was also unmatched in its ability to capture the unique personalities of those who sat for portraits.

With guidance from U of L archivist Mike Perry and Lisa Doolittle of the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts, Patton and Livingston contacted members of the Kainai, Siksika and Piikani First Nations, searching for – and interviewing – people who may have had contact either with de Grandmaison or any of the subjects featured in his paintings.

To ensure the full range of stories compiled in the oral history project are shared for years to come, Livingston is now working on an educational program and online resource for high school students and middle school students, respectively. The initiatives are a way of giving back to First Nations communities and youth, says Livingston, who is of Cree heritage.

Oral History Project appeals for contributions

trevor.kenney — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:37:50 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives is calling on Albertans to assist in a historical project in support of their vast Nicholas de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts.

A cultural icon of southern Alberta, artist Nicholas de Grandmaison (1892-1978) captured the history of the region and its First Nations people in an entirely distinctive and personal manner.

As an itinerant painter, de Grandmaison often stayed with ranchers, farmers and Aboriginal families for several days at a time while he painted their portraits. His unique lifestyle, character and attitude having left a plethora of interesting experiences that augment the context of his paintings.

It is these stories that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives are looking to tell through an Oral History Project that will complement the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's de Grandmaison collection of artworks and artifacts. They are currently seeking contributions from the Alberta community.

"By compiling an oral history, we really want to give the de Grandmaison collection another layer of meaning," says Karissa Patton (BA '13), a recent U of L graduate who is returning for graduate studies this fall and who is working with third-year Native American Studies student Maria Livingston on compiling the oral history pieces.

"The collection is remarkable, but in some instances we might only have the name of the person featured in the painting, and in others, we have no information at all. When you look at how the subjects are depicted, you can see that there is a story there that is just waiting to be told."

Working under the guidance of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist Mike Perry and Lisa Doolittle of the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts, Patton and Livingston have contacted various members of the Kainai, Siksika and Piikani First Nations, searching for those people who may have had contact either with de Grandmaison or any of the subjects featured in his paintings.

"It doesn't have to be a story from someone who was actually painted, it can be anything from that era that adds to the story of
de Grandmaison's visits and work," says Patton. "Even the smallest of recollections help to create a larger narrative."

BMO Financial Group recently donated 67 original de Grandmaison pastel portraits to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's already comprehensive collection of artworks and artifacts. They have been featured in the
U of L Art Gallery exhibition Nicholas de Grandmaison: Recent Acquisitions, which concludes Thursday, June 27. On Tuesday, June 25, a Closing Reception and Hoop Dance Performance will be held at 7 p.m. in the U of L Art Gallery.

"It's been wonderful to be able to present these de Grandmaison works to the public," says Director/Curator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Dr. Josephine Mills. "The BMO donation has significantly enhanced our collection and really inspired us to search for ways in which we can encourage new work from First Nations artists. I think this Oral History Project is an excellent way to give even more context to these works and bring our Alberta history to life."

For those looking to take part in the project, access the following website for more information: http://www.uleth.ca/artgallery/?page_id=5452, call 403-380-1868 or e-mail degrandmaisonstories@uleth.ca

Historical timeline launched

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:51:35 +0000

By MIKE PERRY

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives is pleased to announce the launch of the new U of L historical timeline, available through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library (www.uleth.ca/lib) and archives home (www.uleth.ca/lib/archives) pages.

The creation of the new timeline was a group effort, with a prominent role played by a couple of current students and a U of L alumnus, all currently working in the library. The project began about a year ago with new media student Marcel Jepson, who was working as a student web application developer, and I sitting down to discuss what could be developed. When we decided on what we wanted, Jepson got to work building and developing the platform.

While he did most of the work on this website, he was expertly assisted by Shem Simmons and Bryson Duda. Simmons, a graduate of the new media program who is currently working as a multimedia artist in the library's information systems department, styled and created the graphics for the timeline. Duda, a system support specialist in the library, assisted with writing the computer code that makes the timeline more interactive and searchable.

While the website was being developed, second-year computer science student Krysti Bouttell-Bonnar (a student assistant in the library) helped research the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's history for suitable content. Bouttell-Bonnar spent many hours combing through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's publications to find interesting highlights to add to the timeline.

Thanks to these four talented people, in particular, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library, in general, for their contributions to this project.

The timeline is an ongoing project, so if you have any suggestions for content or improvements please contact mike.perry@uleth.ca in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives.

The timeline is very dynamic and allows users the ability to search the digital copies of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ papers and the Meliorist from the webpage. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Calendars from 1967 to 1995 (the most recent are already completed) have also been digitized and will be uploaded to the timeline shortly.

Mike Perry is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Archivist

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue online, follow this link.

Oral history project brings past to life

trevor.kenney — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:02:45 +0000

By MIKE PERRY

In January 2009, Dr. James Tagg, Professor Emeritus of the history department, initiated a project to conduct, collect, digitize and make accessible interviews with individuals intimately connected with the early years of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

With the assistance of Graham Ruttan, a student in the Faculty of Education, the number of interviews conducted with faculty, staff, administrators, students and friends of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has grown to 70. The interviews are between one and three hours long and provide a wealth of engaging and informative storytelling of the lives of individuals who experienced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge during its infancy.

According to the Oral History Association, "Oral history is a field of study and a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the voices and memories of people, communities, and participants in past events. Oral history is both the oldest type of historical inquiry, predating the written word, and one of the most modern, initiated with tape recorders in the 1940s and now using 21st-century digital technologies."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives, together with the Department of History, has taken on the important role of ensuring that the collection is preserved and accessible to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community. Dr. Heidi Macdonald has assumed responsibility for the collection and has been instrumental in ensuring that the project continues to grow. Jacob Cameron, a technical specialist in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library and working in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives has done most of the work required to design and facilitate the easy access to these recordings.

Karissa Patton, a student in the history program, has also contributed to this project by assisting with the biographies and transcripts first worked on by Ruttan. Ruttan spent two summers on this project, interviewing former students, creating written transcripts and conducting the research for the short biographies of the participants.

While the project is largely complete, it is still a work in progress. It can be accessed on campus from two online locations. From the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library's homepage under the Resources tab, choose "U of L's Digital Collections" and follow the link to the collection. It is also located on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archives web page at digitallibrary.uleth.ca/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/44/rec/1.

Dr. Tagg joined the Department of History in 1969. During his tenure here, he served as assistant dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science. Tagg, who retired in 2003, devoted much of his time to the advancement of liberal education here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In recognition, the U of L has honored him and a fellow Professor Emeritus, Dr. Ron Yoshida, with the Tagg-Yoshida Lectures, which emphasize the importance of liberal education to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and to the southern Alberta community.

In addition, the Dr. James D. Tagg Citizenship Award is available to continuing graduate students for academic achievement and community involvement.

This oral history project provides the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a distinctive and valuable way to capture the early history of our institution. Together with all the interviewees, Tagg has captured the lived experiences of individuals forever linked to the U of L. It will serve as an enduring legacy to our institutional memory.

Mike Perry is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Oral history project brings past to life

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:34:42 +0000

In January 2009, Dr. James Tagg, Professor Emeritus of the history department, initiated a project to conduct, collect, digitize and make accessible interviews with individuals intimately connected with the early years of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

In addition, the Dr. James D. Tagg Citizenship Award is available to continuing graduate students for academic achievement and community involvement.

Mike Perry is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Archivist

This story first appeared in the February 2012 edition of The Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Special Collections offer a rare look at the past

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:18:01 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library maintains a small assortment of books, periodicals, pamphlets and maps in a collection that is usually designated in Academic Libraries as "Special Collections".

It includes rare and antiquarian books as well as a collection of local histories, the print edition of the Lethbridge Herald from 1919-1955 and other titles deemed special for reasons ranging from age and condition to edition, uniqueness, and format. While the value of items plays a key role in their candidacy for inclusion, it is only one of many criteria considered.

Currently, there are about 773 titles in our Special Collections that are housed in Room L1172C of the Library. Although available for private research and reading in the adjacent reading room (L1172A), this is a non-circulating collection.

Decisions regarding the inclusion of material into special collections are made in collaboration with the subject librarians. Many items in the collection provide examples of printing and publishing over the past 400 years.

Our oldest tome is the 9th edition of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica from 1610 in Latin. Other items include a hornbook from the early 19th century, A History of Florence in Italian from 1764, Volume I of Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World from 1634, and a collection of works from Charles Dickens from the mid-19th century.

The original mandate of the Special Collections was twofold. First of all, it was to try and keep a copy of everything published about Lethbridge and the surrounding area in an environment that would lend itself to conservation and preservation. Secondly, it provides a safe haven for those items from our collection that require special care.

The collection room is dark and cool, with restricted access – three elements that help in preserving and protecting these valuable items.

Historically, the collection has been built from either donations or materials culled from our open stacks. The materials concentrating on southern Alberta in general and Lethbridge in particular are purchased from our regular subject budgets and a copy is usually placed in Special Collections to ensure long-term access.
The entire collection is accessible through the library catalogue. If you would like to peruse any titles in this collection please ask at the Information and Reference Assistance Desk inside the Library's entrance.

Mike Perry is a professional librarian in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library

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Dr. Dorothy Lampard Reading Room established through historical contribution

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