View from the Sylvia Court Apartments, May 18, 1913. Reference code AM1376-: 2013-002.1

Here’s why we were excited. The 1900 and 2000 blocks of Beach Avenue no longer have buildings on the water side. There are very few good views of the buildings that existed there and nearly all of them were taken from the beach rather than from across the street. This is the only view we have that shows these long-gone buildings from this angle.

The photo above, showing streets and features.

This view down English Bay beach shows the direction from which the photograph must have been taken: high up in the Sylvia Court apartment building (now a hotel), facing the buildings in the distance.

English Bay beach, showing bathers and surrounding buildings, about 1913. Detail from Reference code AM54-S4-: LGN 1030

For a completely different (and not photographic) view of these buildings, we can look at Fire Insurance Plans. These detailed plans were created by fire insurance underwriters to evaluate fire risks.

This plan was created in 1893 but updated to 1901. The updates were made by gluing new pieces of paper onto the old plan. You can see that the alignment is a little off here:

Detail from Map 384, showing buildings in the same two blocks as in the photograph.

There were a few buildings on the water side. The real fun was a few blocks over.

Detail from Map 384, showing buildings further along Beach Avenue. Note the toboggan slide in the lower right corner!

The following plan is from 1912, closer to when the 1913 photograph was taken. Note that the original shoreline was outlined. This plan was annotated in pencil by Major Matthews, the first City Archivist. We don’t write on the records any more.

Detail from Plate 8 of MAP 342.

The photograph would have been taken from pink building “7” (the Sylvia), facing toward the Englesea Lodge.

Another view of these buildings from a few years later is the hand-coloured photograph we used as our first Twitter background.

English Bay Beach, 1916. Frank Gowen, photographer. Reference code AM54-S4-: Be P93.

This photograph gives a good view of the Alexandra Park bandstand and the English Bay Pier.

English Bay Pier, detail from reference code AM54-S4-: Be P93

In 1909, large boulders were removed from the beach and used for the construction of English Bay Pier, and sand was pumped from the ocean bottom to create the sandy beach. The Pier was demolished in 1939.

Alexandra Park Bandstand. It appears that these two women are moving concert equipment, probably chairs. Detail from reference code AM54-S4-: Be P93

Alexandra Park Bandstand was built in 1914 and concerts were subsequently held there instead of at the Pier bandstand. It was renamed the Haywood bandstand to acknowledge the contribution made by Haywood Securities toward its 1987 restoration. It is now a designated heritage building protected under City of Vancouver Heritage By-law No. 4837.

For more on the buildings on these blocks, especially Englesea Lodge, see this post by Eve Lazarus on her blog.

The Award of Merit 1943, one of the many spectacular works of art found in the Archives. This image consists of merged photographs of the parchment before (left) and after (right). treatment.

Upon arriving at the Archives, I immediately had the chance to familiarize myself with the holdings in a more tactile manner. I carried out a condition survey on the documentary art collection. The project involved examining the condition of the artwork and proposing the appropriate conservation treatments. Not only was a condition survey crucial in grasping an overview of the state of the collection, a proper identification of the media also helps archivists describe records with greater accuracy. Leafing through the documentary art collection was similar to taking a visual stroll down the history of the city. For example, the collection contains numerous watercolour paintings depicting recognizable Vancouver-like natural landscapes and albums of original cartoons from local newspapers satirizing the socio-political atmosphere of the city throughout time.

Through the condition survey, I was able to select a few objects that posed interesting conservation problems to treat. The opportunity to handle and treat many of these historically significant artifacts had me buzzing with excitement; I was like a kid in a candy store! One of the most challenging objects that I treated was an albumen print lined onto a cardboard support of the 1890 Vancouver Police Force.

The albumen print of the 1890 Vancouver Police before treatment. Item number CVA 252-1.

The print had suffered from severe physical damage as a result of poor handling prior to being acquired by the Archives. The physical damage was so extensive that it had mostly fragmented the print into what looked like a jig-saw puzzle. Surprisingly enough (or not so, in the world of archives), the tears through the print were not the most urgent problem. Rather, it was the attempt to fix the tears that became the most alarming problem for the overall stability of the object. At one point, a well-meaning individual had attempted to repair the tears with a very generous application of clear adhesive tape. Although the tape kept all the different fragments of the print intact, the adhesive from the tape had also deteriorated over time and inevitably affected the aesthetics of the photograph. Most of the treatment for this albumen print was to remove the tape and its residues through a combination of mechanical and chemical techniques.

Using Laponite RD as a poultice to reduce the intensity of the adhesive residues. Photograph by Rosaleen Hill.

Mentioning tape removal treatment to any conservator is most often responded to with a grimacing look paired with a sigh of agony. Tape removal is a treatment that strikes terror in many conservators, particularly ones that specialize in archival materials because tapes are plastered on nearly half of the records in most holdings and it is a time-consuming process that doesn’t often give satisfying results. To complicate matters even more, chemical ingredients are constantly changing in the composition of the adhesives found on commercially produced tapes, such that there are no standard solutions to cleanly remove tape. After countless number of hours slicing away tape carriers and reducing adhesive residues with a variety of chemical concoctions, I am pleased to say the albumen print has finally returned to a stable state with the image liberated from the tangled mess of degrading tapes.

The albumen print of the 1890 Vancouver Police after treatment.

The objective of most treatments carried out at the Archives is to stabilize deteriorating records and allow the information they contain to be used, over the need to enhance aesthetics. There are a few exceptions to this general rule, where the aesthetics of the object are important. The 1924 colour lithograph movie poster for the film Western Luck is one such instance.

The Western Luck movie poster is so big that it barely fits onto our lab bench!

As one of the Archives’ ongoing long-term projects, the bulk of the conservation treatment had already been completed when I began work on the poster. My role in the project was to reintegrate the areas of losses back with the image on the poster by in-filling and in-painting. It was such an enjoyable treatment in retouching the movie poster that it was hard to believe this was work. The movie poster is still a work in progress but it is definitely on the right track to recapturing its former glory!

A loss in the poster that has been filled, but not inpainted . . .

. . . and the same area after inpainting.

A much larger loss in the poster. It has been filled . . .

. . . and this is the same fill inpainted. Could you spot it if you didn’t know?

At the City of Vancouver Archives, I was truly immersed into every aspect of being a professional conservator. Some of those experiences were unexpectedly rewarding and I couldn’t have fully prepared myself regardless of how many hours I spent reading textbooks.

All the interns gathered around as Rosaleen talked about photo identification. Photograph by Cindy McLellan.

It is difficult to encapsulate twelve weeks worth of incredible memories into a few paragraphs, but few of the other highlights from my internship included the treatment on the hand-painted parchment of the 1943 Award of Merit; surface cleaning of glass-plate negatives; the acquisition of new records (which involved a lot more manual labour than I had anticipated!) and behind-the-scenes tours of the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.

A large part of this amazing experience was made possible through the trust and patience Sue, Rosaleen and Heather (the Archives Manager- our fearless leader!) had shown towards me; and of course, the generosity from all the staff to welcome me into the Archives for a few short months. I couldn’t have asked for a more enriching internship experience than the one I had at the City of Vancouver Archives!

The big change

Until now, digital objects that were under the copyright of a 3rd party (other than City of Vancouver’s copyright) could only be viewed online as a tiny thumbnail. Now they can be viewed in full resolution in our Reading Room through our online search. This works on your laptop in the Reading Room (using our wifi) as well as at our public computers.

Making it work

Come down to the Archives and

1. Connect to the Reading Room wireless network, “COV Archives”
2. Go to the login page: searcharchives.vancouver.ca/;user/login
3. Login with the email: readingroom@vancouver.ca
4. Enter the password: readingroom

If you leave the Reading Room with your laptop or log out from our network, you will no longer be able to see the copyrighted images.

Why we’re doing this

Under copyright law, we don’t have the right to publish these objects to the Web. Until now, we have only been publishing a thumbnail image, which is permitted as it is a small excerpt of a work.

We are allowed to make the objects available in the Reading Room, in the same way we can bring a copyrighted item out from storage for you to view. Making them accessible through the search system is fast and easy for both staff and researchers.

Self copying

We already allow you to make copies—with your camera, or using the microfilm printer—of materials under third-party copyright for fair dealing purposes. This also applies to the copies of digital objects we provide in our search system. You are responsible for getting the permission of the copyright holder for uses other than fair dealing.

So go ahead and email them to yourself, or copy them to a USB drive!

What’s under third-party copyright

Under the old system, you couldn’t see any materials under third-party copyright online. Now you have to be aware of which materials may be freely re-used and which ones require permission of the copyright owner.

The description for each digital object in our system will display what we know about its copyright status in the Rights Area. Here’s a quick guide to what you’ll see.

This item is in the public domain and all replication is allowed. You can use it for anything:

This item is copyrighted to the City of Vancouver and all uses are allowed without seeking permission:

This item is copyrighted to a known third party, who needs to give permission for any re-use other than fair dealing provisions:

This item is presumed to be under copyright but the owner of the copyright is unknown to us. You may be able to determine the owner with some research. It may only legally be re-used for fair dealing purposes.

Bonus for those researching at home

We received feedback that it was frustrating to be tempted by an interesting thumbnail on a list of results only to click through to find that the digital object was not viewable online. We’ve added some language to fix this.

If it says “Digital copy not on web”, then you won’t be able to view the digital object at home. You will still be able to see a more detailed description of the object if you click through to the single description.

The appearance varies with the browser and operating system. It’s yellow in Firefox on a Mac.

We hope these two changes make your research more efficient. As always, we welcome feedback.

Three laboratory staff members in 1916: Maggie McKenzie, Ernie Abbott and R.B.  Reference code: 2011-092.1854.

The science of sugar! The refining of sugarcane or sugar beets to make the sugar products that we all know and love requires expertise and scientific precision. The science carried out at BC Sugar is well reflected in the records that were donated to the City of Vancouver Archives. I would like to share with you some of the records that show the science and scientists that worked at the company.

Alex McKelvie, first chemist, in front of BC Sugar laboratory. Reference code: 2011-092.3353.

Chemists were not the only scientists employed by BC Sugar; several agriculturists and plant geneticists were also on staff. Still, chemistry played an important role in ensuring the creation of consistent products and in researching new.

A page from the laboratory book which records the first production of Rogers’ Golden Syrup. Reference code: AM1592-1-S1-F20.

Creating Rogers’ Golden Syrup, a syrup that did not crystalize at room temperature or during storage, was difficult. In 1914, this was achieved by chief chemist Robert Boyd. The above page, from an early laboratory notebook, shows a summary of some successful experiments that lead to the development of Rogers’ Golden Syrup.

Experimental packaging of Rogers’ Golden Syrup in glass bottles. Photograph taken in the #1 Lab, 1955. Reference code: 2011-092.1659.

Many people remember the tins that Rogers’ Golden Syrup was originally sold in. Many customers found them useful for various things once empty, such as storing nails or wooden spoons. The move to glass bottles was not taken lightly. The new packaging was tested in the laboratory because it would affect many things such as the appearance of the colour of the syrup packaging and shipping procedures.

Sugar crystals during an experiment. The label reads: ‘1 Sugar C953; 750 mls; NY seed.’ June 11, 1969. Reference code: 2011-092.0221.1.

Icing sugar crystals. The label reads: Icing sugar B959-3. June 5, 1969. Reference code: 2011-092.0222.1.

The BC Sugar fonds contains many photographs and negatives of various kinds of sugars in solutions or at different stages during the refining process. In addition to these photographs of sugar samples and crystals, the BC Sugar records also contain laboratory notes, formulas and experiment results.

Camera set up for photographing sugar crystals with Linhof camera. May 1972. Reference code: 2011-092.4596.

Here is an example of the laboratory staff taking a photograph of the configuration of the camera used for taking photographs of sugar crystals. They may have also been excited about their Linhof camera.

Page from a book containing detailed, handwritten instructions and formulas for testing sugar and sugar products. This book was maintained between 1910 and 1925. Reference code: AM1592-S11-F5.-

A BC Sugar standard test used on cube sugar. 1957. Reference code: AM1592-1-S1-F27.

I have featured two sample pages from the books of tests, formulas and other instructions created at BC Sugar for use at their refineries. The fonds also contains results of daily and weekly testing at BC Sugar.

Two pages from the BC Sugar lab boy duty book. Reference code: AM1592-S11-F2.

Martin Rogers penned the above well-thumbed lab boy duty book. From the worn nature of the two lab boy duty books in the fonds, it seems likely that the lab boy referred to this manual often, or brought it with him as he carried out the assigned tasks for each day of the week. Many of the duties involved cleaning but the lab boy was entrusted with some routine experiments.

People hard at work in the No.1 Laboratory, ca. 1935. Reference code: 2011-092.0517.

The BC Sugar fonds is a rich resource that will fuel research for people of diverse interests from the history of our beautiful city to labour relations and unions, and from cultural anthropology (the culture and politics of food) and the history of science to genealogists whose family members worked at BC Sugar. Such future use of their records may not have been uppermost in the minds of these chemists as they performed their assigned tasks to ensure the daily smooth operation of refining sugarcane at BC Sugar.

Over the course of the next couple of years the textual records, photographs, moving image materials, architectural drawings, and other materials in the BC Sugar fonds will be preserved, arranged, described and made available to researchers. We look forward to providing access to and sharing more stories and highlights from this exciting fonds.

Kaitlin at UBC holding her B.A.

After being accepted to several archival and library schools across Canada, Kaitlin chose the program farthest from this coast, Halifax. She will be earning a Master of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie starting in 2014. Her choice to defer for a year will allow her to continue working for the UN as a flight attendant. Between stints in Africa, which she is currently visiting, we hope Kaitlin will find some down time to visit us before she goes jetting off again!

Our former glass plate negative storage cabinets. Photo by Cindy Mclellan.

Along with Kristine and some other wonderful volunteers, Kaitlin spent many hours rehousing our glass plate negatives. This was a big job, the second step of an even bigger job.

Glass plate negatives come in all shapes and sizes; everything from cute little 5 x 5 cm ones to 21 x 27 cm and many sizes in between. The Archives even has some gigantic glass panorama negatives that require custom boxes.

Three standard box sizes and some examples of glass negatives with their four-flap enclosures open.

In Major Matthews’ time, these negatives had been housed as a jumble of different sizes of glass plates which leaned dangerously against each other and were housed in acidic envelopes. Many years ago, we rehoused them in special 4-flap envelopes for glass negatives and supported them upright, on edge, with negatives of similar size in cushioned file cabinet drawers. The 4-flap design allows the item to be laid flat while the envelope is opened, rather than being tipped or pulled out of an envelope. While this was an improvement, the negatives were still at risk should there be damage to a single cabinet (for example, in an earthquake) and the cabinets were so heavy it was impossible to move them, should the need arise.

In this second step, more than 8000 negatives have been rehoused in special boxes that stand the plates on edge and allow a cushion of air around each group of plates. In addition to rehousing, this project required careful updating of a tracking spreadsheet.

The inside of a glass negative box for standard-sized negatives. Photograph by Cindy Mclellan.

Depending on the thickness and style of the plate, between 20 and 25 fit in each box making the boxes easy to lift and safely move. Soon we hope to extend the shelving to create more storage space and use all that air space that was wasted above the filing cabinets.

The Archives purchased three standard sizes of box which worked for most, but we had to alter a few boxes to accommodate some of the sizes. This was done by adding foam to the bottom of the box or making extra dividers to prevent the plates from being loose. While supporting the plates snugly, the boxes must allow enough room that they can be easily removed without getting damaged.

Cute little glass plate negative that is too small to properly store in the standard boxes. Photograph by Cindy Mclellan.

Glass negatives stored neatly in their special modified box. Photo by Cindy McLellan.

Digitization is the best way to give access to these breakable materials. Thanks to the spreadsheet created by the volunteers, we have a list of those glass negatives that have not yet been digitized.

Boxes of glass plate negatives stored neatly on shelves.

We gave Kaitlin a break from working with the glass plates to work on another project. This was also with special formats: maps, architectural plans and technical drawings all produced by the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Game (VANOC). As the buildings that these records show are still standing and in use, access to these plans will be restricted for quite a few years. The work Kaitlin did to record, dates, titles, measurements, exact locations and other basic metadata will help the Archives make these materials available with ease in the future.

Thank you Kaitlin for your dedication to the Archives! We wish you all the best in your travels and studies at Dalhousie.

A Happy Easter! Front view. Reference code: AM1052-: AM1052 P-878

This little gem was sent to Elsie from her husband Ted sometime between 1914 and 1918. This embroidered postcard belongs to a type known as “silks,” which were made in France and bought by Allied soldiers during the First World War.

A Happy Easter! Back view. Reference code: AM1052-: AM1052 P-878

This is a formal studio portrait of a three-year-old boy. Perhaps the cat helped to calm him and keep him still, although at this early date the child might have been tied to the chair or held in a clamp.

George Allan Velton and cat, July 29, 1867. Reference code AM336-S3-2-: CVA 677-292

Noel Robinson arrived in Vancouver in 1908 and worked as a journalist for several daily newspapers. Here he is in military uniform, with friends.

Noel Robinson and Bill Reed with cats, 1915. Reference code CVA 677-423

One of a group of photographs taken by local pharmacist Erwin Gordon, these might be his children. And his cat.

Man with baby, girl and cat, 1921. Reference code AM336-S3-1-: CVA 677-1061

Jack Lindsay worked in Vancouver as a news photographer, photojournalist and commercial photographer. He took this for the Vancouver News-Herald.

Cat on a desk, ca. 1940 Jack Lindsay, Photographer. Reference code AM1184-S3-: CVA 1184-1084

He also took this image of a child in a ship’s wheelhouse.

Girl holding cat in wheelhouse, 1942 Jack Lindsay, Photographer. Reference code AM1184-S3-: CVA 1184-1488

Former City Alderman John Bennett relaxes with his cat, in the same year he was awarded the Freedom of the City.

John Bennett with his cat, 1947. Reference code AM54-S4-: Port P1812.3

Frederick Seymour was Governor of the Colony of British Columbia from 1864-1869. Mount Seymour, and Seymour Street are named for him. The photographer, Frederick Dally, arrived in Victoria in 1862 and was known for his photographs of British Columbia. He returned to England in 1870 to work as a dental surgeon.

Governor Seymour and cat, 186-? Reference code AM54-S4-1-: A-6-111

Sergeant James Sperring and others of the 121st Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force are in a training camp in Vernon, B.C.

Members of the 121st Battalion with cat, 1916. Reference code AM54-S4-2-: CVA 371-245

William Sumner was a member of the Home Guard in Winnipeg, men who patrolled the streets every night to be on the alert for attack during the North-West Rebellion. He worked as a bricklayer after he moved to Vancouver, laying the first brick in the old Hotel Vancouver.  A singer, he reportedly grew a beard at doctor’s advice in order to protect his throat. He died in 1947 at age 95.

William Sumner and cat, Nov. 29, 1946. Reference code AM54-S4-2-: CVA 371-1838

Portrait of E. Pauline Johnson, undated. George T. Wadds, photographer. Reference code AM54-S4-: Port P637

Born in 1861 on the Six Nations Reserve, outside Brantford, Canada West (Ontario), Pauline Johnson was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and an English mother. Her Mohawk name was Tekahionwake. She published her first poem in 1884. In 1892 she began to read her poems to audiences, honing her skill as a dramatic performer as she performed on tours across Canada, in the United States and in England over the next 17 years. Her first book of poems, The White Wampum, was published in 1895.

Pauline Johnson visited the West Coast often during her tours. In 1906 she met Squamish Chief Joseph Capilano (Su-á-pu-luck) in London and began a friendship with him. In August 1909, already suffering from breast cancer, Pauling Johnson retired from touring and moved to Vancouver.

By 1911 Pauline Johnson was ill and living with modest means in the West End. She worked with Chief Capilano, retelling his stories in Legends of Vancouver, a book she published in 1911 with the help of her Vancouver friends. Johnson included the stories of Stanley Park landmarks Siwash Rock and Deadman’s Island and of The Lions (Two Sisters), a Vancouver icon. Her poem Lost Lagoon immortalized the name of the inlet now cut off from the sea by the causeway to Stanley Park.

First edition of Legends of Vancouver privately printed in Vancouver in 1911. Photo by Jeffery Chong.

From the Bute Street Hospital where she last lived in Vancouver, Pauline Johnson wrote to a Mr. Fleming to ask that copies of Legends of Vancouver be delivered to her. This is one of the autographed documents by Pauline Johnson in the holdings of the City of Vancouver Archives.

Page 1 of letter written by Pauline Johnson to Mr. Fleming, December 8, 1912. Reference code AM650-: LEG427.1.1

Page 2 of letter written by Pauline Johnson to Mr. Fleming, December 8, 1912. Reference code AM650-: LEG427.1.2

In 1912, again with the assistance of friends, a collected edition of her poems, Flint and Feather was published. This volume, according to her entry in Wikipedia, “has been reprinted many times and is one of the best-selling titles of Canadian poetry.”

On March 10, 1913, Vancouver mourned the death of Pauline Johnson by declaring the day a civic holiday. A procession started at the Bute Street Hospital, where she had died, and ended at Christ Church Cathedral where the service was held. Thousands of Vancouver residents witnessed the procession along Georgia Street including many local First Nations people. Her casket was followed by Chief Matthias, son of Chief Joe Capilano. Four days later a small ceremony was held in Stanley Park, near the site of her present memorial, to bury her ashes.

Pauline Johnson’s coffin and flowers in the room in which she died at the Bute Street Hospital, March 7, 1912. Reference Code AM1102-S3-: LEG427.7

Funeral procession for Pauline Johnson, on Georgia Street near Granville Street, Vancouver, March 10, 1913. Reference code AM54-S4-: Port P1422

Shortly after her death, the Women’s Canadian Club of Vancouver began to organize a monument to commemorate Pauline Johnson. Charles Marega proposed an elaborate design but it would have been costly to make and difficult to raise funds during the First World War and so work on a monument was delayed.

Design by Charles Marega for a memorial to Pauline Johnson in Stanley Park, n.d. Reference code AM54-S4-: MON.P.82

After the war the Women’s Canadian Club of Vancouver settled on a more modest design by architect James Anderson Benzie, perhaps best known for his design of the Japanese-Canadian War Memorial erected in Stanley Park in 1920. The stone monument and fountain are located between The Teahouse and Third Beach, just off the side of Stanley Park Drive.

In 2012 a blueprint design of the Benzie-designed memorial was discovered and donated to the City Archives by J.B. Newall Memorials.

Design for memorial to Pauline Johnson, Stanley Park by James A. Benzie, March 1922. Item No.: 2012-009.1

Ceremony at the memorial to Pauline Johnson, Stanley Park, Vancouver, B.C., 1922. Reference code AM1535-: CVA 99-1328

Artifacts and archival records relating to E. Pauline Johnson are held in a number of institutions. The principal repository is the E. Pauline Johnson fonds at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The records include much correspondence received by Pauline Johnson during her residence in Vancouver, 1909-1912. We have a number of photographs, copies of her publications and a very few letters.

The Museum of Vancouver has quite a number of artifacts associated with Pauline Johnson, many left to them in her will, including the native costume she performed in. One of the most poignant objects in their collection is her death mask, created by Pauline Johnson’s friend and sculptor Charles Marega.

Death mask of E. Pauline Johnson by Charles Marega, 1913. Reference code AM1102-S3-: LEG427.5

In March 2013 Herstory Café has planned two events to honour the 100^th anniversary of Pauline Johnson’s death in Vancouver, featuring Janet Rogers, a Mohawk spoken word, performance and media poet. The event on March 10, 2013 will take place at the Pauline Johnson memorial in Stanley Park.

Panoramic view of the City of Vancouver, 1898. Detail from reference code AM1594-: MAP 547

The project makes these maps available to everyone quickly online, and makes them easy to re-use. It reduces damage to the oversized originals due to handling, as they no longer have to be retrieved from storage. Very light-sensitive materials, like blueprints, may be kept in the dark so they don’t fade.

Before the maps are scanned, we clean them as much as possible and then repair any tears that would make the map hard to understand or catch in the scanner. The maps need to be flattened to remove buckling or folds so that all the information can be captured.

1963 Zoning map in need of repair

We have a large-format scanner that will take objects up to 54 inches wide and 0.6 inches thick. Maps in good shape can be scanned on their own, but if they are especially delicate or have a bumpy surface they will have to be enclosed in an acetate sheet during the scan.

Map being scanned

Many of the maps that were created for City projects used standard base maps created by Engineering, and then added other information.

Here’s a 1978 base map of the entire city (and you can see it full-sized here).

City of Vancouver base map 1978. Reference Code AM1594-: MAP 1034

Here’s that 1978 base map revised to 1980 on which all park sites as of June 1980 have been coloured in green pencil (and the full-sized version).

City of Vancouver park sites, 1980. Reference code AM1594-: MAP 1032

Maps may contain information other than geographical. This 1938 Plan of School Buildings and Properties has a table of additional information about each school: the number of rooms, the street address and the type of school (elementary, junior high or high). (Full-sized version).

Plan of school buildings and properties (1938) for the use of the Board of School Trustees. Reference code AM1594-: MAP 1041

Some of our maps depict plans rather than reality. This shows a proposed canal between Port Moody and the Pitt River, as well as a canal and lock system on Burrard Inlet and a diversion of  Seymour Creek. (Full-sized version).

Sketch of proposed interurban canal and harbour development for Greater Vancouver, B.C. Reference code AM1594-: MAP 11

Here’s a detail from the sketch above showing the Burrard Inlet locks.

Detail from Reference code AM1594-: MAP 11

Our first City Archivist, Major Matthews, created maps based on his knowledge of Vancouver’s history. (Full version).

It might have been Albert City, 1858, New Georgia 1792 : it was Granville, 1870, British Columbia, 1871 : it is Vancouver, 1886, British Columbia, 1871 : it is Vancouver, 1886, Canada, 1867, Reference code AM1594-: MAP 109

This one was drawn on linen and you can see the weave if you zoom in. You can see how hard it can be to erase information on a linen map without leaving a trace. It’s obvious where the name “Strathcona Place” used to be.

DETAIL from Reference code AM1594-: MAP 109

We also have some nautical charts. Here’s one from 1891 that shows lighthouses (in red), the depth of the water, what’s under the water (mud, shells, rock, etc), and other useful navigational aids. (Full version).

Burrard Inlet, 1891. Detail from reference code AM1594-: MAP 50

Here’s a detailed look at the land on which people were living in Stanley Park near Brockton Point in 1934. (Full version).

Plan showing lands occupied in Stanley Park near Brockton Point, City of Vancouver B.C., April 14, 1934. Detail from reference code AM1594-: MAP 6

This tourist guide from 1898 helped the traveler by showing transportation (ship, rail, electric tram) and services (customs, post office, hospital, churches, Hotel Vancouver, Molson Bank) rather than attractions. (Full version).

Tourist guide map of Vancouver City and Park. Detail from reference code AM1594-: MAP 35

We even have maps that are so old that Vancouver does not appear. This 1787 map, despite being from the “latest and best authorities”, has a big gap where most of British Columbia should be. (Full version).

North America : drawn from the latest and best authorities, 1787. Detail from reference code AM1594-: MAP 290

Have a project that uses one of these maps? Let us know! We love to hear how our holdings are being used.

This digitization project was made possible by funding from the British Columbia History Digitization Program at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia.

Books on the shelf with Library of Congress bookmarks ready for labeling. Photo by Allison Hasselfield.

In the beginning, my days of cataloguing at the Archives began with a stack of books. My job was to find catalogue records for these books in other libraries, and copy the information that I found into the Archives database. The copy-cataloguing process may seem a bit mundane, but in reality there was always a rogue element that made things interesting. The books themselves, for one, touched on fascinating subjects. There were general books about preserving books, art and archival materials; books about bookbinding and making paper; books about photographic processing, digital printing, and scanning; and books about methods for pest-control, to name just a few.

A few unlabeled conservation books. Photo by Allison Hasselfield.

Beyond the interesting subject matter, there were often situations where I discovered slight variations and errors in other catalogue records, and remedying these appealed to my detail-oriented mind. The cataloguing process began to feel a bit like detective work (or at least an investigative process), and being involved in decisions about what to include in a catalogue record made it all the more engaging for me. I had to consider what the Archives’ needs were in a catalogue record. This sometimes meant being more concise when choosing subject terms and more verbose when describing the uniqueness of the inscribed copy in hand.

A tape measure to ensure an accurate physical description of books, and scissors and book tape for the labeling process.

Once the (close to 200) books had been catalogued in the Archives database, I labeled them with the proper Library of Congress call number, secured the labels with book tape, and put them in their proper place on the shelf. I used book tape since it will hold labels in place but not damage the books if the tape is removed. Putting books on the shelf was the final step of restoring order to the physical universe, and it gave me a very librarian-ish sense of pride and purpose.

Neatly labeled books on a shelf. Photograph by Allison Hasselfield.

The next task for my professional experience was to catalogue the serials in the library collection.

Serials sign at the end of the vintage orange shelf. Photograph by Allison Hasselfield.

When I got to the Archives, all of the serials were shelved together in three bays at the end of the library collection. Although a few of them were in the database, most of them were not, and the journal titles were not organized by Library of Congress call numbers. Additionally, some of them still had labels from the days when the Archives library was organized according to the Dewey Decimal System. Most of the serials had no labels at all.

The serials section: beautiful. Photograph by Cindy McLellan.

Cataloguing the serials in the database was a painstaking process, since each record included a high level of detail about the library holdings. It involved a lot of counting (and re-counting), paying meticulous attention to which issues the Archives had and which were missing, and formulating detailed (but coherent) notes in the catalogue record. This challenge appealed to me greatly.

Overall the most satisfying part of my experience at the Archives was when all the serials were catalogued, and I set about putting them on the shelf in order of call number. This shelf shift involved physically moving shelves around in order to accommodate serials of different heights, placing the serials optimally, and then stepping back to admire my own handiwork.

Me, admiring the serials section (right). Photograph by Cindy McLellan.

Working at the Archives was a unique experience for me as a library student, because I got to see the kinds of fascinating archival work that is done there. I was also fortunate to work on a project that both related to my aspirations as a future librarian and prepared me for taking advanced Cataloguing and Classification this term. I’m happy to say that I contributed to cleaning up the library collection, making more resources accessible to Archives staff and patrons. I really enjoyed working on this project and I hope that it is not the last time that I get to see the inner workings of an archival organization.