Posts By:

McGill Libraries
info.library@mcgill.ca

Proactive Chat : A New Way to Reach McGill Librarians

Proactiv Question Box

by Sandy Hervieux, Liaison Librarian and Virtual Reference Coordinator, Humanities and Social Sciences Library If you’ve visited the Library website this Fall, you may have noticed a red conversation bubble icon and pop-up window located in the bottom right hand …

Proactive Chat : A New Way to Reach McGill Librarians Read More »

Support the Library’s raffle in support of Centraide

Centraide logo - red background, white text

Help the Library raise awareness and funds for Centraide of Greater Montreal, an important organization that helps to make a difference in our community. There are many ways to give back – any donation, big or small goes a long …

Support the Library’s raffle in support of Centraide Read More »

50 Years of Library Service (1924-1974): Martha McCallum in her own words

Redpath Library Building, circa 1950s/ McGill University Archives, PR037992

To ring out McGill’s Bicentennial, the Library is featuring an Unsung Hero of yore. On January 7th, 1974, Miss Martha McCallum, Gift and Exchange Clerk, celebrated her 50th anniversary as an employee of McGill University Libraries….Miss McCallum received a letter …

50 Years of Library Service (1924-1974): Martha McCallum in her own words Read More »

50 Years of Library Service (1924-1974): An interview with Martha McCallum

Undergraduate-library-turnstiles-Redpath-Library-PR038022

To ring out McGill’s Bicentennial, the Library is featuring an Unsung Hero of yore. On January 7th, 1974, Miss Martha McCallum, Gift and Exchange Clerk, celebrated her 50th anniversary as an employee of McGill University Libraries….Miss McCallum received a letter …

50 Years of Library Service (1924-1974): An interview with Martha McCallum Read More »

Unsung Heroes of the McGill Library

Helene Koonjbeharrydass looking at the camera

As part of McGill’s Bicentennial Celebrations, faculties, central units, associations, and unions were asked to nominate Unsung Heroes in their department who have greatly helped shape the community. In addition to being featured on the University’s Unsung Heroes page, the …

Unsung Heroes of the McGill Library Read More »

Welcome Message from Dean Guylaine Beaudry

Dr. Guylaine Beaudry. Background: McLennan-Redpath Terrace.

Welcome / bienvenue to McGill Libraries! I’m honoured to be your new Trenholme Dean of Libraries and very happy to serve alongside the exceptional team of information experts and service professionals who make it their mission to support the teaching, …

Welcome Message from Dean Guylaine Beaudry Read More »

‘Wrong author, you silly Shih Tzu. Godot will never recognize you in that James Joyce disguise.’

two well dressed dogs attached to a dog cart

By Labiba Faiza, ROAAr McGill Library This July, ROAAr’s Caption This series celebrated the dog days of summer by featuring a picture of an incredibly stylish dynamic dog duo. It came as no surprise that participants came up with a …

‘Wrong author, you silly Shih Tzu. Godot will never recognize you in that James Joyce disguise.’ Read More »

“I fear our cypher is detected”: When agony ads go awry

The “FLO. Ciphers,” sent between September 1853 and January 1854, were a lovers’ correspondence that appeared in the Agony Column of “The Times”. Identifiable only by their addressee, the correspondence was the subject of much intrigue due to the unique numeric cipher in which it was written. The cipher was broken and later intercepted by Charles Babbage, a Victorian mathematician with a knack for code breaking. The ever-witty Babbage let the correspondents onto his discovery by correcting the grammar and spelling of one of their messages. Finding themselves exposed, the lovers ended their secret correspondence in haste.

By: Ronny Litvack-Katzman, Research Assistant, ROAAr At first glance, the Agony Column appears a perfect outlet for clandestine correspondences. Throughout the 19th-century, thousands of writers across the British Empire successfully sent and received cryptic messages through popular Victorian newspapers such …

“I fear our cypher is detected”: When agony ads go awry Read More »

A Special Tribute to Our Friend, Sheila Goldbloom (1925-2022)

Sheila Goldbloom in a red coat smiling at the camera.

The Friends of the McGill Library wish to pay tribute to Sheila Goldbloom, a true changemaker, who had a deep and lasting impact on the Friends of the Library, McGill University, the community-at-large, and on all of those who were …

A Special Tribute to Our Friend, Sheila Goldbloom (1925-2022) Read More »

The Story of Choryo 張良 and Kosekiko 黄石公

By Melody Hsu, McGill Visual Arts Collection Museum Database Assistant (2022), B.A Art History and International Development, Minor Communications, 2022 A smirking, elderly man atop a galloping horse gazes down at a young man kneeling on a dragon. The young …

The Story of Choryo 張良 and Kosekiko 黄石公 Read More »


Library Matters seeks to exchange and encourage ideas, innovations, and information from libraries' staff and special contributors for the McGill community and beyond.


Contact Us!

If you have any questions, comments, or even an idea for a story, let us know!