McGill’s digitized collections are now available in HathiTrust

This summer, the McGill Library is celebrating two major milestones in digitization:

HathiTrust: After many years of hard work and a collaborative effort between Collection Services and Digital Initiatives, the Library contributed 17,918 digitized volumes to HathiTrust. This marks a significant achievement of a long-held goal, to move our mass digitized collections from the IA into HathiTrust for increased preservation and access. Not only have we moved all our digitized volumes into HathiTrust, new workflows were also created to ingest digitized works on a regular basis using the Digital Projects Database (DPD). This incredible online tool was created by Elizabeth Thomson, (recently retired system analyst) at the Library’s in-house Application Development Team in Digital Initiatives.

HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions that offers millions of digitized titles from libraries around the world. During the pandemic while the Library was unavailable to onsite borrowers,  it continued to provide access to our print holdings.

In 2009-2010, HathiTrust started experimenting with ways to add support for ingesting content from the IA. This initiative enabled the Library to “batch upload” our first IA collection to HathiTrust: the popular Chapbook Collection that was published during the 18th and 19th centuries and contains over 900 British and American chapbooks. HathiTrust’s innovative approach of using existing high-resolution images from the IA saves an enormous amount of time since it is not necessary for the Library to restore archival images from its own preservation tape backups. Once the images are loaded, the HathiTrust record offers a similar experience to the IA with a full-text search component and a page-turner display option. More importantly, because of HathiTrust’s close collaboration with the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) to create a permanent bibliographic catalogue, our digitized content is discoverable in McGill’s discovery tool Sofia.

The Internet Archive: This past month, the Library reached the incredible milestone of 6 million views on the IA, a non-profit digital library that provides public access to millions of digitized items. Founded in 1996, the IA (archive.org) has collaborated with more 275 Canadian institutions in providing open access to their unique materials. The McGill Library began uploading to the IA eight years ago and our collection now numbers 18,973 digitized items. Currently, the McGill Library has the following eight collections in the internet Archive:

Here are some interesting facts about our IA collection that is growing by thousands of eBooks every year.

  • One of our most popular items is the Magic Cookbook with over 17,000 views. It describes how Magic Baking Powder is used in baking recipes.
  • The oldest digitized item in the collection is an Assyrian Medical Tablet ca. 700 BCE. It belonged to an ancient family of priests in the Temple of Aššur and it is on remedies for an eye disease that is itself unidentified in the tablet.
  • The IA collection contains items in over 50 languages, including several indigenous languages such as Cree, Mi’kmaq, and Inuktitut.
  • The size of the books in the collection range from a very large 3-foot atlas to a small chapbook measuring only 91 mm.
  • The IA now offers the Daisy Audio format of our digitized collection for print-disabled users using specialized devices or apps.

If you wish to stay informed of new additions to our digitized collection in the Internet Archive, please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.

A big thank you goes out to our colleagues who made these milestones possible: Megan Chellew, Elizabeth Thomson, Jessica Lange, Sarah Severson (U of A), Clara Turp, Andrew Senior, Mutugi Gathuri, Mehmood Khalid, Jenn Riley and the rest of the Application Development Team in Digital Initiatives.

2017 year in review: Digitization

As 2017 comes to a close, the McGill Library has become the forefront in digitization. Not only has the library embarked on more systematic digitization projects, it has also fulfilled a record number of scan requests and added over 1,500 new digitized books to the internet archives since 2016. It is interesting to reflect on a few of the other significant accomplishments in the Digitization Lab this past year.

One important achievement was the purchase and implementation of the Quartz Suprascan, a new planetary scanner specifically designed for large format digitization of rare material.  This new acquisition made it possible to consolidate all of our equipment into one space, replacing the Better Light system that was housed in the back room of Rare Books and Special Collections. Not only has the Quartz Suprascan increased productivity because of its speed and superior level of image quality, it has also made it easier to manage large format digitization becoming a central part of the Lab. Its other innovative features include the 1:1 scanning ratio, the relief enhancing lighting, and the glare control system that enables digitization of sealed drawings in glossy mylar without reflections.

Quartz scanner in the digitization lab

Quartz scanner in the digitization lab

Example of the 1:1 scanning ratio with some of our architectural drawings

Example of the 1:1 scanning ratio with some of our architectural drawings

Another area in which digitization has had a major impact is in digital exhibitions. The introduction of interactive touch tables in 2016 created a mini-boom for curated selections of digitized items. This innovative technology is ideal for showcasing digitized work by allowing users to zoom into the finer details with the push of a fingertip. Some recent examples include Vimy Ridge, an exhibit that commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge; an exhibition dedicated to the work of Robert Reid that featured over 250 pieces of his work; and the Montreal Maps exhibition, in which a hundred maps dating from between 1556 and 1946 were digitized to celebrate Montreal’s 375th anniversary.

At the start of the year, a new large-scale digitization initiative was started with the help of Collection Services. During cataloguing, any material that was published before 1896 and considered unique was brought to digitization ahead of being returned to Rare Books. This new and improved workflow opened the door to our collections and shared some incredible items from the McGill Library with the world. These items are from a range of collections including Islamic Manuscripts, Blacker-Wood, McGill Theses, and Voltaire.

Other notable digitization projects include:

Here’s looking forward to 2018 and the interesting and exciting projects that are on the horizon for the Digitization Lab.

Backstory: A history of McGill Student Publications

Guest post by Annelise Dowd. Annelise is a recent graduate of the McGill University Master of Information Studies program who worked on a practicum project working with the Student Publication Collection.

McGill Student Publications Collection
With 140 years of student produced content, covered in 9,868 issues in eighteen unique papers, the student publications at McGill has a rich history. Student publications include widely disseminated student newspapers written and published by students on both the downtown and Macdonald campuses, covering the events, daily life, and opinions of students. From lofty intellectualism of nineteenth century McGill publications, to the anti-war resistance of 1960s The McGill Daily issues, the student papers at McGill shifted greatly in content and scope. However, what these publications do share is the virtue of revealing not only the lives of McGill students, but also that of a young residents of Montreal, Canada, and the larger world.

All issues are available to search and download through the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/mcgilluniversitystudentpublications

The early years: 1874-1911

The first student newspaper, the McGill University Gazette, was published by McGill undergraduates in 1874. Indicative of its time, this monthly published nineteenth century paper focused on literary merit and only published controversial material if it was written in a “gentlemanly manner.” Due to a lack of enthusiasm from students and lack of financial organization from publication staff, the newspaper ceased publication in 1890, not to be replaced by the McGill Fortnightly until 1892.

McGill Fortnightly Vol. 02 No. 01: October 12, 1893

Cover of the McGill Fortnightly Vol. 02 No. 01: October 12, 1893

The McGill Fortnightly, aptly published bi-weekly, aimed to not repeat the oversight of the Gazette through the creation of a business board and a focus on student activities. However, the Fortnightly ran for only four years, as students demanded a weekly newspaper. In the words of the editor-in-chief Lucy E. Potter in the weekly published 1898 first issue of the McGill Outlook, “no one cared to read news a fortnight old.” The McGill Outlook was a departure from the papers that preceded it, in both it’s new creative format, as well as the inclusion of the first woman editor-in-chief, the aforementioned Lucy E. Potter. The last of the pre-Daily publications was the The McGill Martlet, founded after the Outlook ceased publication due to a lack of financial support.  First published in 1908 as a “modernized” weekly, the Martlet was hugely popular. In fact, the demand for more frequent issues of the paper was so great, after only three years of publication the Martlet was transformed  into what became the longest running newspaper at McGill.

Macdonald campus student publications

By 1910, student publishing was already an institution on the McGill campus. students at the recently opened Macdonald campus felt they needed a student paper that reflected their distinct viewpoint. The Macdonald College Magazine, first published in 1910, aimed to fill this demand for a Macdonald campus student publication. Featuring not only student activities, but also agricultural trends, rural life, and scientific articles, the College Magazine and sought to acknowledge the unique experiences of “rural” McGillians. The magazine ran for over twenty years, until in 1932 the administration chose to produce a weekly newspaper and the Macdonald College Annual to give more space for news of student activities.

Failt-ye times Vol. 21 No. 17

Cover of the Failt-ye times Vol. 21 No. 17

The Failt-Ye Times introduced in 1932 was the first true student newspaper, focusing on current events and student activities at the Macdonald campus. The paper continued its run successfully into the late 1960’s, and during this period successors of The Macdonald College Magazine, The Macdonald College Journal (1940) and the Macdonald Farm Journal (1952) were published to fulfill the need for specific agricultural-related information. In 1968, during a particularly politically turbulent period, the Failt-Ye Times changed both its format and philosophy, resulted in its new incarnation, the activist-leaning The Dram. The Dram was published weekly, and was much more radical than its predecessor. The paper ran for four years, until threats of financial austerity from the Student Council and inexperienced executives, lead to the demise of the paper in 1972. The Harvest replaced The Dram in 1973, published bi-monthly or less frequently, due to reduced funding and support. The Harvest continued sporadically until 1990, when resources were decreased to the extent that the paper could no longer be produced.

The McGill Daily and the shaping of a modern student newspaper

The McGill Daily Vol. 04 No. 027: November 2, 1914

Cover of The McGill Daily Vol. 04 No. 027: November 2, 1914

While other publications were short-lived, the introduction of The McGill Daily in 1911 marked the format that would remain a fixture at McGill for over a century. The McGill Daily began, like other student papers, as a report of student activities and sports events. Published “daily” – usually four times a week, The Daily aimed to mirror The Montreal Gazette and other major newspapers of the time. By the late 1960s, The McGill Daily had become a vehicle for outspoken students, facing opposition from student government and the administration. This initial coverage of hard hitting issues like reproductive rights, the Vietnam War, and racism broke ground for the brave work continued by McGill student journalists through the 1970s until the present.

Not just The Daily: “alternative” press at McGill

Multiple other McGill student publications were also published during the The Daily’s run. The McGill Fortnightly Review was introduced as a literary newspaper in 1925 due to the success of The Daily’s literary supplement. The paper was short-lived, only lasting for two years, but it’s brief publication was memorable due to outspoken and subversive writers on staff.

The McGilliad: Vol. 1, no. 1

Cover of The McGilliad: Vol. 1, no. 1

The Fortnightly Review was succeeded by The McGilliad, a paper published monthly by the Arts Undergraduate Society from 1930-31. Like the Fortnightly Review, The McGilliad focused on “uncensored” literary works, permitting student journalists freer expression than what was traditionally afforded. Despite high-profile contributors such as Stephen Leacock, The McGilliad ceased publication due to a lack of planning and coordination. Although there is no question that other alternative small-press student publications have circulated within the twentieth century at McGill, the major alternatives to The Daily did not emerge again until the late 1960’s. During this time there was high contention between student government, the university administration, and The McGill Daily. In 1968 the editor-in-chief of The Daily was forcibly removed by the McGill Student’s Society due to strong political statements regarding the Vietnam War. The year of 1968 included a flurry of new publications, including The McGill Free Press introduced initially as a placeholder paper for The Daily while it was on hiatus. To oppose the viewpoints of The Daily and The Free Press, the McGill Students Society published a short run of it’s own paper from 1966-68, Public Address. The paper functioned to clarify misconceptions about the views of student government and contributed to the fiery banter between the multiple publications in print at McGill during this period.

The current landscape and legacy of McGill student publications

Quid Novi Vol. 33 No. 004: October 4, 2011

Cover of Quid Novi Vol. 33 No. 004: October 4, 2011

The collection of student publications also hold more current papers in addition to the historical publications. Quid Novi, is the weekly published law students paper was first published in 1981 and still continues to be published today. The paper focuses on both the activities of the student law society and provides space for “investigative journalism” into the problems within the law faculty and administration. The McGill Daily produced a weekly french edition of the paper, but in 1998 is was renamed Le Délit Français, giving a distinct identity to the francophone student publication. Le Délit aimed to not merely be a french translation of The Daily, but instead to give voice to the distinct perspective of McGill francophone students.

Student media continues to thrive at McGill, with great debt to its past. The collection of McGill student publications serves not only as a testament to the history of McGill, but also as a fascinating look at the origins of now prominent alumni. In the pages of these student newspapers, the likes of Leonard Cohen, Stephen Leacock, Otto Klineberg, Eugene Forsey, F.R. Scott, Daryl Hine, Suroosh Alvi, Adam Gopnik, and Suniti Namjoshi can be found.

 

New online: The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada.

141 issues of the The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada from March 1913 to November 1920 are now available through our library catalogue and the internet archive.

From the cataloguing notes: The postal journal, for a time numbered separately, appeared as part of the Civilian. It was “edited under the auspices of the Postal Clerks’ Association of the Dominion of Canada”. Latterly it was superseded by a column entitled “Postal notes.” Official publication of the Civil Service Federation of Canada, 1917-July 1920; of the Associated Federal Employees of Ottawa, Aug. 1920-1921. Established and edited by Frank Grierson, May 1908-Mar. 1920.

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.7:no.6(1914:Jul.10)

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.7:no.6(1914:Jul.10)

 

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.9:no.16(1916:Nov.24)

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.9:no.16(1916:Nov.24)

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.13:no.4(1920:Mar)

The Civilian : a fortnightly journal devoted to the interests of the Civil Service of Canada. v.13:no.4(1920:Mar)

Colour our collections (again)!

#ColorOurCollections / #ColourOurCollections week is back from February 6 to 10, 2017! We had so much fun with this campaign last year we couldn’t wait to put out some new pages.

McGill #ColourOutCollections

McGill #ColourOurCollections

This year we’ve created three pages for you to download and colour.

  1. Partie orientale du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France by Vincenzo Coronelli. (1689)
  2. Vedute di Roma by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1769?)
  3. Library of McGill University bookplate. The Wood Library of Ornithology. (1921)

When you’ve finished your masterpiece we encourage you to share them on social media using the event hashtag #ColorOurCollections or tag us on twitter @McGillLib. It’s been fun seeing what everyone comes up with!

#ColorOurCollections was a campaign spearheaded last year by by the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), the New York Public Library (NYPL), the Smithsonian Libraries and the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

 

Over 13,500 digitized books added to the Internet Archive

McGill University Library has recently attained an important milestone: Over the course of the past 6 months, over 13,500 digitized books have been uploaded to the Internet Archive (IA). With over 8,000,000 fully accessible eBooks and texts, the Internet Archive has become the foremost resource for accessing digitized material. IA’s close collaboration with over 1,100 Library institutions enables the collection to be available to a vast network of researchers. Furthermore, the Internet Archive allows our collection to be harvested into HathiTrust, a digital partnership between major research institutions and libraries.

The McGill University Library Internet Archive collection consists of digitized materials from different branches of the McGill Library, ranging from Rare Books and Special collections to notable collections such as Chapbooks and the McGill Student Publications. Our digital collection is growing steadily every week. Because most of the digitized items originated as patron digitization requests, the focus of our online collection is curated around user centric needs. Our collection can be searched and browsed using a variety of topics and categories. Below is a screenshot of our Internet Archive Library home page.

The McGill University Library Internet Archive collection

The McGill University Library Internet Archive collection

Books uploaded to the Internet Archive are full-text searchable and can be read online with the Internet Archive’s built-in book reader or downloaded as a PDF. IA also provides mobile device-friendly formats including EPUB and Kindle. Below is an example of a book as viewed from the built-in Internet Archive book reader.

The Marquis of Carabas' picture book : containing Puss in Boots, Old Mother Hubbard, Valentine and Orson, the absurd ABC

Example of a book as viewed from the built-in Internet Archive book reader. https://archive.org/details/McGillLibrary-104381-365

This initiative could not have been done without the help and support of Sarah Severson, Megan Chellew, Dan Romano and Elizabeth Thomson. A special thanks to Elizabeth who worked diligently to create the necessary tools to batch load digitized material and records into IA and HathiTrust.

You can find newly digitized McGill materials by clicking on this RSS feed link or visiting the McGill University Library Internet Archive page.

New online: McGill (University) Gazette 1874-1890

We’ve added 107 full colour issues of the McGill (University) Gazette. This semi-monthly is currently our oldest serial in our student publications digital collection.

Published by the undergraduates of McGill University the Gazette requested contributions of tales, essays, and all suitable literary matter from University men and cost 1$ for a subscription. Our archival run starts with Vol. 1 No. 4 which was published on January 1st 1874.

Front page of the University Gazette Vol. 01 No. 04: January 1, 1874

Front page of the University Gazette Vol. 01 No. 04: January 1, 1874

All of our student publications uploaded to the Internet Archive are also full text searchable.

Searching for text inside the pages of the University Gazette Vol. 01 No. 04: January 1, 1874

Searching for text inside the pages of the University Gazette Vol. 01 No. 04: January 1, 1874

Learn more about what was happening in the past on campus by searching through our Student Publications digital collection that includes over 9,800 issues spanning the history of McGill from 1874 to 2001.

On this day: October 11, 1911

McGill University well represented on Canada’s new cabinet. Out of fourteen ministers Premier Borden selects eleven graduates. Click the front page to read more from the McGill Daily October 11th issue.

Front page of The McGill Daily Vol. 01 No. 6: October 11, 1911

Front page of The McGill Daily Vol. 01 No. 6: October 11, 1911

Learn more about what was happening in the past on campus by searching through our Student Publications digital collection that includes over 9,800 issues spanning the history of McGill from 1875 to 2001.

On this day: September 29, 1898

On this day in 1898 the McGill Outlook published it’s inaugural issue and “makes its initial bow to the student public”. The McGill Outlook (1898-1907) was a weekly student newspaper that followed after the ending of the  McGill Fortnightly (1892-1896) publications.

McGill Outlook Vol. 01 No. 01: September 29, 1898

First issue of the McGill Outlook Vol. 01 No. 01: September 29, 1898

Learn more about what was happening in the past on campus by searching through our Student Publications digital collection that includes over 9,700 issues spanning the history of McGill students writing from 1875-2001 from the McGill University Archives.

New online: 46 issues of the McGill Fortnightly

The McGill Fortnightly, ‘A Fortnightly Journal of Literature, University Thought and Events.”–V. 1, no. 3., was bi-monthly published by students between 1892-1898 and the indirect successor to the McGill University Gazette. We digitized all 46 issues including the covers and advertisements in the McGill University Archives but there are gaps in the collection covering the later years. These issues are a part of our larger McGill Student Publication collection. 

McGill Fortnightly Vol. 01 No. 01: October 27, 1892

McGill Fortnightly Vol. 01 No. 01: October 27, 1892

Cover of McGill Fortnightly Vol. 01 No. 03: November 24, 1892

Cover of McGill Fortnightly Vol. 01 No. 03: November 24, 1892

McGill Fortnightly collection

McGill Fortnightly collectionMcGill Fortnightly