A Summer with McGill archival collections: Enhancing Information Accessibility Through Historical Research & Language Digitization Projects

The Indigenous Mentorship and Paid Research Experience for Summer Students (IMPRESS) offers Indigenous undergraduate students from McGill or other Quebec post-secondary institutions, a unique experiential learning opportunity to conduct research with a McGill professor, or to work on a project at one of our units — all while being paid! Three IMPRESS students spent their summer at McGill Libraries, specifically in the Collections, Rare Books & Special Collections and Teaching & Learning units.

By Leah Louttit-Bunker, a fourth year student majoring in History with a double minor in Indigenous Studies and Anthropology, and an IMPRESS intern at McGill University Libraries. Learn more about Leah’s internship.

For two months this summer, I was fortunate to obtain an internship at the McGill Libraries with Anna Dysert, Associate Librarian for the Collections division. Through McGill’s IMPRESS program (Indigenous Mentorship and Paid Research Experience for Summer Students), I was able to select a professional at McGill who I wished to learn from to further assist with my academic and career goals, and as a History and Indigenous Studies student with a passion for historical writing, working with Anna in the archives immediately piqued my interest.

On my first day, Anna provided me with an overview of archival work, where I learned about archival arrangement and description, rules of archival description (RAD), archival software (AtoM), and reparative description and conscious editing. I read various helpful articles and presentations on these topics, but what stood out to me the most was an article called Protocols for Native American Archival Materials by the First Archivist Circle, a group of archivists, librarians, museum curators, historians, and anthropologists representing fifteen Indigenous communities. The article highlighted the best professional practices for culturally responsive care and use of Indigenous archival material held by non-tribal organizations. Some of these practices include the importance of consultation with and concurrence of tribal communities in decisions and policies, the need to recognize and provide special treatment for culturally sensitive materials, and the need for reciprocal education and training. While I did not work with any Indigenous archival materials, I thought this article would be essential to circulate within the McGill Libraries for other future students and interns to read. (See article here: https://www2.nau.edu/libnap-p/protocols.html#Striving)

For June, my main project was to write and edit preexisting biographical sketches of historic figures relating to the fur trade found in McGill’s Archival Collections Catalogue. I had a list of about sixty fur traders to write sketches for, some of which include well-known figures that conducted business in Montreal, like Simon McTavish, Joseph Frobisher, and Andrew McGill (brother of James McGill). The reason I rewrote some biographical sketches was to align what was previously written with current archival description standards. I found that some sketches over-glorified the figure, which can cause people to overlook the more questionable actions and characteristics of the person. Along with this, I corrected numerous improper words regarding Indigenous peoples, for example, “Indian,” “half-breed,” and “metis.” I also found that a lot of women and Indigenous peoples involved in the lives of these fur traders were left out, while the figure’s male and white relatives were included with a brief description of who the person was, so I conducted additional research to include their names and vocations.

Throughout July, I did a similar project, where I wrote and edited biographical sketches, but I was able to pick and choose fonds under specific subjects that I was interested in writing about. Some of these fonds included people involved in the War of 1812, the South African War, the Rebellions of 1837 and 1838, and those who worked for the History, Music, and Anthropology departments at McGill. I also wrote about a few women who studied at McGill in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, who were among the first to receive specific degrees and awards (i.e., Maude Elizabeth Abbott, who was one of the first women to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill in 1890, though was rejected from McGill Medical School because women were not yet admitted then). While I did this, I also partook in a language digitization project. (See Maude Elizabeth Abbott’s full biographical sketch here: https://archivalcollections.library.mcgill.ca/index.php/abbott-maude-e-maude-elizabeth-1869-1940)

The McGill Libraries have a collection of cassette tapes that feature over fifty hours of Swampy Cree, Inuktitut, and Ojibway language lessons. My job was to record the Swampy Cree and Inuktitut cassette tapes onto my computer to be uploaded to the McGill Libraries. This was a meaningful project because I am Swampy Cree, and while I am not yet fluent, I was able to enhance the knowledge I had through recognizing and identifying certain words, phrases, and linguistic patterns. It felt enriching to contribute to making Indigenous languages more accessible and to help preserve vital lessons given by elders. Indigenous language revitalization is an imperative practice, as each Indigenous language has its own wealth of knowledge and teachings that cannot be fully translated or expressed in any other language.

Along with the language lessons, the biographical sketches I had researched and written are available on the McGill Libraries’ website, as part of a responsibility that I and other library staff seek to uphold – enhancing the dissemination of information. The McGill Libraries improves daily through this goal, by allowing information to be more widely accessible for anyone to peruse online. Working in the McGill Libraries and learning about a resource that I have used extensively throughout my years of studying has been nothing short of a rewarding experience. I have had the opportunity to strengthen my research and writing skills, build connections with other library staff, further explore the library database to assist with my future research, learn about McGill archival collections, and continue in pursuing research in something I am passionate about.