Blog Archives

A mirror into the microcosm: digitizing Johann Remmelin’s 1619 flap anatomy, Catoptrum microcosmicum.

By Ruoshan Gu and Mary Hague-Yearl The staff at the Osler Library are always on the lookout for new ways to challenge our colleagues in Digital Initiatives. The team in the digitization lab seem to be able to do anything, …

A mirror into the microcosm: digitizing Johann Remmelin’s 1619 flap anatomy, Catoptrum microcosmicum. Read More »

R. Tait McKenzie’s The Sprinter: The Growth of an Iconic Image

By Phoebe Fisher, Student, McGill University Archives   I recently received an inquiry from a family member of Thomas Graydon, a past McGill employee who was presented with a Sprinter statue by the McGill track team in circa 1911. The …

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Bernard Lorjou’s Le Buffet Rouge: History in Colours

Bernard Lorjou (1908-1986), Le Buffet Rouge (1946-47), oil on canvas, 113 x 144 cm. Gift of Hélène V. Rubin and Lionel Rubin, B.C.L. '35, conserved with the support of a generous donor. McGill Visual Arts Collection. © Association Bernard Lorjou

By Rachel Vincent-Clarke, Communications and Collections Assistant, McGill Visual Arts Collection In a room on the main floor of Birks building, the home of the School of Religious Studies, hangs a vibrant still life painting by French expressionist artist Bernard …

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Out of Harm’s Way : Second World War scrapbooks shine a light on the experience of evacuee children brought to Quebec

La version française suit By Elis Ing, Liaison Librarian, Rare Books and Special Collections During the Second World War, Marjorie Kathleen Tovey, headmistress of a small independent school in Hertfordshire, England, decided to evacuate her students to Canada, just as …

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A monumental scan : Nobbs’ Bird’s-Eye View of McGill University

McGill crest detail from Nobbs' Bird's Eye View with scan in the background.

La version française suit By Greg Houston, Digitization Administrator & New Media Administrator Since its inception in 1996, the library digitization lab — formerly the Digital Collection Program — has captured and provided access to millions of pages and objects …

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#adventuresincataloguing : retracing the lived history of books

La version française suit By Megan Chellew, Coordinator, Cataloguing & Metadata; Robin Desmeules, Rare Books Cataloguer and Anna Dysert, Rare Books Cataloguer The practice of cataloguing rare books goes beyond simply describing the title and contents of a particular object. …

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A Lasting Impression: Renaissance of McGill’s Columbian Printing Press

Gold detail on Columbian Printing Press

La version française suit By Ann Marie Holland, Associate Librarian, Curator Colgate History of Printing Collection, Rare Books and Special Collections Over the summer of 2019, restoration experts at the Howard Iron Works Printing Museum carried out a complete overhaul of …

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A Mirror of Jane Austen’s Reading Library

– What was Jane Austen reading? Several university classes this semester have explored this question by means of a dedicated display case in Rare Books and Special Collections.  Shakespeare – Bacon – Hume – Johnson – Burney – Voltaire – Rousseau …

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Student Spotlight: Marion Dessalles at Rare Books & Special Collections

Student employment in the McGill Library benefits the entire McGill community. At almost 100 strong this academic year, McGill Library student workers gain valuable work experience while engaging in academic pursuits.  Student navigators, curatorial interns, special project assistants and student …

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Take McGill’s hidden gems home with Ex Libris

This September, McGill launched a capital campaign and a new branding vision for the university. The fall of 2020 promises even more excitement as McGill’s bicentennial festivities get underway. As we look back and forward, this is a perfect moment …

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