Blog Archives

Art & Image: ongoing research in the Gwillim Project

The Gwillim Project centres around the lives of two English sisters in early 19th c. Madras (now Chennai): Elizabeth Gwillim (1763-1807) and Mary Symonds (b. 1772). Both sisters were avid artists and dedicated letter-writers; their paintings of flora, fauna, and …

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McGill Library and Sage: Open access agreement for McGill authors

The McGill University Library is happy to announce an agreement between the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and Sage Publications which will provide more open access options for McGill authors.  As of January 2021, McGill corresponding authors publishing with Sage Choice journals* will have the option to make their …

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What’s 150 years old, 11 feet long, and can get you from Grand Rapids to Quebec City in minutes?

Chisholm's all round route and panoramic guide of the St. Lawrence, 1870

C.R. Chisholm & Bros. was a Montreal-based publishing company that specialized in travel guide books as well as maps of Canada and the United States. Chisholm’s all round route panoramic guide of the St. Lawrence is a 150-year-old folded panoramic …

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Virtual Puzzles: Winter fun & a splash of colour to ring in 2021

Outdoor activities are front and center this holiday break. If you are looking for a fun way to stay warm after an afternoon of sledding or skiing, try your hand at solving these jigsaw puzzles featuring vintage images courtesy of …

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Year in Review: Most searched, borrowed, watched titles of 2020

2020 will go down as a year filled with flux and firsts. One of the few things that remained tried and true was that the Library’s electronic resources continued to be available 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Articles, e-books, e-journals, newspapers, …

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Bicentennial Snapshot | Student Life (and boils!) at the Library

Since the founding of McGill almost two centuries ago, the Library sits at the center of the teaching, research, and learning enterprise that is at the core of the University’s mission. It’s clear that the Library serves as the virtual …

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Trot away from 2020 with our DIY rare holiday phenakistoscope

This holiday season is unlike any other. As we move into a new (and hopefully better) year, the Library wishes you much peace, rest, and health coupled with lighthearted moments of reflection, joy, and discovery. Once again, we have remixed …

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Theodore A. Harris’ “The Long Dream, After Richard Wright” and the Activists in Our Collections

Philadelphia-based artist, Theodore Harris, insists on the power of visual art to reveal diverse perspectives, speaking of our collective past, present, and future in a contentiously shared world.  Presenting as keynote at Culture Shock, a yearly event co-hosted by The …

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Dr. Barbara Althea Jones: a fascinating figure in McGill’s history

Dr. Barbara Althea Jones was born in Barataria, Trinidad in the late 1930s. She had a promising career in plant genetics, and was an accomplished poet, performer, and visual artist. She was also an activist, outspoken on the topic of …

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Remembrance Day and McGill Library Collections

In honour of Remembrance Day, we have brought together some of the many important manuscripts, papers, artworks and artifacts in the Library’s collection in the form of digital collections, blog posts and past exhibitions that remember and honour courage and …

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