Category Archives: Displays

Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC

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The Education Curriculum Resources Centre (ECRC) contains a curated collection of books and other formats to support the Faculty of Education curriculum. The Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC exhibition showcases picture books, written by Canadian Indigenous authors. The book selections contain publications from Indigenous perspectives from across Canadian provinces and territories. The selections in the exhibition are contained in this bibliography: https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org:443/list/18108355.

Picture books or picture story books combine illustrations with short narratives and their audience is usually young children. The imagery in a picture book helps bring the story to life and assists beginning readers to follow the storyline. Picture books are essential teaching and learning resources and have been recognized for their ability to engage students and teach self-awareness.

I have highlighted two book selections in this post. One of the featured authors is C.J. Taylor, an acclaimed artist and children’s author of Mohawk heritage who was born in Montreal in the 1950s and raised in the Eastern Townships. C.J. Taylor credits Tundra Books’ publisher May Cutler for her support and encouragement to enable her work to be first published. Read more about C.J. Taylor in the Canadian Review of Materials profile: https://www.cmreviews.ca/cm/profiles/taylor.html

Taylor, C. J. (2004). Peace walker: the legend of Hiawatha and Tekanawita. Tundra Books.

Also included, is Inuit storyteller, Michael Kusugak’s picture book entitled My Arctic 1,2,3. This counting book introduces its readers to arctic animals, landscapes and people. Read more about Michael Kusugak on his website: https://www.michaelkusugak.com/

Kusugak, M., & Krykorka, V. (1996). My Arctic 1, 2, 3. Annick Press.

The ECRC picture books are superimposed over a series of Canadian Indigenous maps created and published by Aaron Carapella called “Tribal Nations Maps”. Tribal Nations Maps is a U.S. Indigenous company dedicated to representing all historical Indigenous nations across the Western Hemisphere, using traditional and given tribal names. The Tribal Nations Maps are located in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Map Room (second floor) and are available by consultation only.

https://www.tribalnationsmaps.com/store/c6/Canada.html

The exhibition Canadian Indigenous Picture Books: Selections from the ECRC will be on display in the Redpath Exhibition display cases from November 5, 2021 until the end of the month. For more information about this exhibition, please contact sharon.rankin@mcgill.ca, Education Liaison Librarian, McGill University Library.

Redpath Book Display: Cundill History Prize

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Each year the Cundill History Prize, administered by McGill University and selected by an international jury, recognizes a book that “embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality and broad appeal.” It is the most lucrative prize of its kind, with winners receiving an award of US$75,000 and two runners-up receiving US$10,000.

This year’s finalists are:

  • Rebecca Clifford, Survivors: Children’s Lives After the Holocaust (Yale UP)
  • Marie Favereau, The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press)
  • Marjoleine Kars, Blood on the River: a Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast (The New Press)

The winner will be announced December 2nd.

The Cundill History Prize Book Display in Redpath

To highlight the achievements of this year’s nominees, as well as those of previous years, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library has put together a book display on the main floor of the Redpath Library Building. It consists of longlisted, shortlisted, and finalist titles from the past several years. Please take a look and borrow one today!

Queer History Month – A Redpath Exhibition

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The Humanities and Social Sciences Library would like to wish the McGill University Community a Happy 2021 Queer History Month. Every year in Canada, the month of October is observed as a time to reflect and learn about LGBTQ+ history and culture.  This year’s Queer History Month theme is “Coming Together”.  

For the 2021 Queer History Month, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library would like to showcase the diversity of Queer resources you have available to you for teaching, learning and research purposes both online (see online exhibit) and in physical format. Visit the Queer History Month Calendar to learn more about the various programming during the month of October. 

Under the care the Liaison Librarian for LGBTQ+ Studies, the McGill Library has been able to acquire access to valuable digital archives such as to the Archives of Human Sexuality and Gender, Alexander Street Press’ LGBT Thought and Culture, and Adam Matthew’s Defining Gender. These primary source digital archives provide you with access to historical newspapers and newspaper clippings, personal journals, photographs, magazines and more!  

Discover Queer McGill’s History 

A small search for “Gay McGill”, present day Queer McGill, in the Archives of Human Sexuality and Gender reveals numerous digitized documents that help us relive Queer McGill’s history as one of the first and most influential LGBTQ+ organizations at McGill, in Québec, and in Canada. Learn about the 1974 Gay McGill Civil Rights Public Forum, an article published in The Gay Times. Rediscover the 1979, 1981 and 1988  Gai(e) Danse posters for the dances Queer McGill held on campus. Read what quite possibly might be the first mention of Queer McGill (formally Gay McGill) in the July-August edition of Body Politic (Toronto, Ontario). If you find any other interesting historical things about McGill and its Queer Community, let us know in the comments!  

Scholarly Articles Databases 

In addition to these primary source treasure troves, you will also find important databases for scholarly publications, like the Gender Watch and Gender Studies Database. These two databases provide access to journals that published scholarly articles on gender and sexuality studies.  

Physical Redpath Display 

Finally, we invite you to look at the physical display located in the main hallway of the Redpath Library Building. You’ll see a selection of novels, encyclopedia, and essays on various aspects of Queer Studies. Note that this is only a small fraction of the available print resources we have at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. If there is a specific title on display that you would like to borrow, please contact hssl.library@mcgill.ca.  

Living Queer Collection 

Our libraries are for everyone and open to all. We like to extend this philosophy to our collection management practices. In this spirit, if you have purchase suggestions that you believe we should add to the McGill Library, please reach out to the Liaison Librarian for LGBTQ+. Our collection is constantly growing, and the best way to strengthen it is collaboratively.  

Happy Queer History Month to all and feel free to reach out to Michael David MILLER, Liaison Librarian for LGBTQ+ Studies for any questions, comments or suggestions. 

A special thank you to our staff who helped assemble the physical and virtual displays. 

  • Vanja Lugonjic, HSSL Outreach Assistant 
  • Kristen Goodall, Library Assistant