Rare Books and Special Collections at McGill https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc News, acquisitions and special projects Tue, 21 Nov 2017 18:29:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Retirement news: Dr. Richard Virr https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/retirement-news-dr-richard-virr/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/retirement-news-dr-richard-virr/#respond Thu, 16 Nov 2017 17:00:18 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2726 Continue reading ]]>

Dr. Richard Virr with Audubon’s “Birds of America”. Photo: David Sidaway / The Gazette

Dr. Richard Virr announced recently that he is retiring on February 2nd, 2018. Richard joined Rare Books and Special Collections in the Fall of 1984 after a short time in the McGill University Archives where he was the final editor of A guide to Archival Resources at McGill University.  In 1985 he was named curator of manuscripts, a position he continued to hold when appointed Chief Curator in 2006.  The latter position he held for 10 years.

Throughout his time at RBSC Richard left his mark in a number of areas.  He curated numerous exhibitions that were extremely helpful in raising the visibility of the collection, including the recent one on the memorialization of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Richard organized colloquia and other events that allowed for a scholarly analysis not only of material held in RBSC but of books in general.  The proceedings of the recent Meeting with Books: Special Collections in the 21st Century was published by the library with additional material about special collections at McGill. His sharp wit and depth of knowledge of the collection developed over years of erudite thought, was of great benefit to the many students and scholars with whom he worked.  He also authored several works, such as Apud Aldum: Aldines in the Libraries of McGill University, published in the Marginalia monograph series in 2000.  For many years he was co-editor with Hans Möller of Fontanus: from the Collections of McGill University.

One of his professional passions has been collection development.  Richard focused on building on strengths, so he acquired a number of important writers from the Enlightenment era, including securing Patrick Lee’s significant Voltaire collection and numerous works by David Hume.   He also added significantly to the Canadiana holdings. He taught Descriptive Bibliography in the McGill School of Information Studies for many years.  The course was very popular.  Many of his students later went into the field and appreciated the positive impact this course had on their professional development.

Richard has also been active outside the University.  He was editor of the Journal of the Canadian Church Historical Society, and organized the 2007 Anglican Libraries in Canada Conference held at McGill.  He is the Archivist for the Anglican Diocese of Montreal, and a governor of the Montreal Diocesan Theological College.

Photo: Noah Sutton / McGill Tribune

Although Richard’s last day at work will be December 1, he will continue to be active in a number of professional projects, including co-curating an exhibition of medieval books of hours at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in September 2018.

We all thank Richard for his many years of service and wish him well.

 

 

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/retirement-news-dr-richard-virr/feed/ 0
Exhibition: Remembering https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-remembering/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-remembering/#respond Fri, 10 Nov 2017 17:04:36 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2717 Continue reading ]]> In honour of Remembrance Day and to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, McGill Library and Archives has prepared a special exhibition in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.

This exhibition begins with Battle of Vimy Ridge itself and the memorial dedicated by His Majesty King Edward VIII in 1936. Also on display is the McGIll Book of Remembrance. This illuminated book records nearly 700 names of McGill individuals who died while serving in uniform either during or after World War I and World War II. Each name is handwritten in calligraphy and the pages are illuminated in hues of red, blue, green, gold and silver. To learn more and view the book click here.

Headline History of the Great War scrapbook

The exhibition continues through November on the first floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library.

Until November 12th, an interactive touchscreen highlights two of our permanent web exhibitions: the Canadian War Poster Collection, and McGIll Remembers, which provides access to thousands of digitized archival records pertaining to the students, alumni, faculty and staff of McGill University who contributed to the Second World War effort.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-remembering/feed/ 0
Apply now – RBSC travel research grants https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/apply-now-travel-research-grants/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/apply-now-travel-research-grants/#respond Tue, 07 Nov 2017 21:22:31 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2703 Continue reading ]]> We are currently accepting applications for three travel research grants to facilitate on-site research at Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill Library.

Fanny Burney by Edward Francisco Burney

The McGill-American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) Fellowship is offered by the Burney Centre, in conjunction with Rare Books and Special Collections. The fellowship is designed to assist scholars who need to travel to and establish temporary residence in Montreal in order to use the resources of the Library. The Fellowship is available to scholars interested in any aspect of Frances Burney, the Burney family, and their extended circle. It carries an award of US $3,000 for a one-month stay, at a time to be arranged. Application deadline: November 30, 2017. How to apply

 

 

Raymond Klibansky (1905-2005)

The McGill Raymond Klibansky Collection Research Grant is intended to enable researchers from outside the Montreal area, both established scholars and graduate students, to work on a research project related either to the Klibansky Collection itself or to the history of philosophy in the congenial circumstances of Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library.

The Klibansky Collection of over 7000 titles reflects the entire range of Raymond Klibansky’s intellectual interests from his early work on medieval thought to his engagement with the concept of “tolerance” and its importance in the post-Second World War World. The Klibansky Research Grant, with a value of up to $4000.00 (Cdn), is open on a competitive basis. Application deadline: December 31, 2017. How to apply. 

 

Frontispiece, Oeuvres complètes de Voltaire, 1819.

The McGill Library Voltaire Research Travel Grant is available to literary scholars, book historians, graduate and post-doctoral students, and to those interested in the arts and humanities of the Enlightenment era.

$2,500 in awards will be made to one or more individuals whose project requires them to spend a minimum of two weeks to come to McGill to consult the rich holdings of Voltaire and other Enlightenment works in Rare Books and Special Collections. Application deadline: December 31, 2017. How to apply.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/apply-now-travel-research-grants/feed/ 0
Occultober exhibition https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/occultober-exhibition/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/occultober-exhibition/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2017 19:02:47 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2700 Continue reading ]]>

Scrapbook of Ruth Ena Taylor | McGill University Archives 2017-0042.12.1

This scrapbook was compiled in 1924-1925 by Macdonald Teaching College student Ruth Ena Taylor. It contains dance programmes, diary entries, old pieces of candy, a wishbone, and even a spoon! Ruth very much enjoyed the Halloween dance.

This book is part of our new exhibition, “Occultober” currently on display in our reading room 4th floor McLennan Library Building. Open Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm until November 10th.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/occultober-exhibition/feed/ 0
Exhibition: McGill@expo67 https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-mcgillexpo67/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-mcgillexpo67/#respond Sun, 01 Oct 2017 17:27:22 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2741 Continue reading ]]> McGill @ Expo 67 is an exhibition in the McGill Library that celebrates Expo 67’s 50th anniversary. It showcases the University’s rich collections of photographs, souvenirs, drawings, and passports, as well as materials belonging to McGill community members especially donated for the exhibit.

McGill @ Expo 67 looks at the role of Expo 67 in teaching and research, arguing for the continued relevance of Expo 67 for Canada’s next generation of university students.

Curated by: Annmarie Adams, Professor, School of Architecture & Chair, Department of Social Studies of Medicine; Jennifer Garland, Associate Librarian, McGill Library; David Theodore, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture.

The exhibition runs October 2nd – December 21, 2017 in the McLennan Library Building (main floor, lobby). For opening hours, click here.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-mcgillexpo67/feed/ 0
Special Announcements https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/special-announcements/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/special-announcements/#respond Fri, 01 Sep 2017 23:09:54 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2678 Continue reading ]]>

The Robert R. Reid multi-site exhibition curated by  CAUSA in association with McGill University Library (Rare Books and Special Collections) has been extended so as to complement the 61st annual conference of the non-profit ASSOCIATION TYPOGRAPHIQUE INTERNATIONALE, which is hosting ATypI Montréal 2017″  from September 12th  to 16th,  2017.

On September 15th, 2017, a special tour of the Robert R. Reid Exhibition and Touch Table Display will be made available to members of the ATypI conference.

Click here for the special events calendar.

Digital Typography and Design by Robert R. Reid

 

….And join us when American scholar Paul Shaw will speak from 7 to 8 pm, September 15th 2017 on W. A. Dwiggins.

Paul Shaw, who has spent nearly 40 years researching the life and work of American typographer and book designer W.A. Dwiggins (1880-1956) will discuss some of the material by and about Dwiggins housed in the William Colgate History of Printing Collection, located in Rare Books and Special Collections of the McGill University Library,4th floor of the McLennan Library Building.

We look forward to receiving members of ATypI to our library.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/special-announcements/feed/ 0
Exhibition: On the Wings of the Wind: The Birds of Luisella Carretta https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-on-the-wings-of-the-wind-the-birds-of-luisella-carretta/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-on-the-wings-of-the-wind-the-birds-of-luisella-carretta/#respond Fri, 01 Sep 2017 17:24:23 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2735 Continue reading ]]>

Luisella Carretta is an Italian artist who has devoted much of her work to researching the environment, and especially to the movement of animals in their natural habitat.  She has given particular attention to the flight of birds, and her drawings and watercolours document these.  This exhibition brings together some truly striking images that Luisella Carretta has produced of birds in flight. Curated by Dr. Richard Virr.


September 5, 2017 – December 22, 2017. For opening hours, click here.

McLennan Library Building Rare Books and Special Collections, 4th floor lobby, 3459 rue McTavish, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C9.
Vernissage: Wednesday, 6 September, 5:30 to 7:00pm in Rare Books and Special Collections, 4th floor, McLennan Library Building.
]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibition-on-the-wings-of-the-wind-the-birds-of-luisella-carretta/feed/ 0
PRESENTING REID’S DIGITAL DESIGNS https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/presenting-reids-digital-designs/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/presenting-reids-digital-designs/#respond Wed, 05 Jul 2017 23:56:48 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2631 Continue reading ]]> “ROBERT  R. REID: RE-READING (CLOSELY)”

By Special Guest Writer :  David Bellman, Research Curator,
CAUSA / Collective for Advanced and Unified Studies in the Visual Arts

 

Designed by Robert R. Reid

■ A point of contact and an action point activated: verbal-visual presence/revivification of text (and tempo) through listening and looking (localization in a nexus of previously unrelated pattern and proposition).

A resulting field of force: TYPOGRAPHICAL TELETRANSPORTATION.

________________________________________

The term “typographical image” has been adopted as a descriptor for identifying the densely self-contained digital-experimental designs that Robert R. Reid has produced in close collaboration with CAUSA –for purposeful use within variable curatorial research projects (including the current, ground-breaking exhibition at McGill  Library). And that carefully conceived nomenclature links, concisely/expansively, to this lucid epigram by the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu:

People cannot see themselves in running water. They see
themselves in still water, for only stillness can see stillness.

To further clarify a long-term, self-sustaining function for Reid’s rigorously committed USE OF THE AESTHETIC, an observation by Carl Sandburg can be constructively evoked. He connects us to Reid’s capacious creativity with a specific insight:

The inexplicable is all around us. So is the incomprehensible.
So is the unintelligible.

Sandburg’s insights date from 1950 –one year after the publication of Reid’s  first book (produced by him as founder of Canada’s first artisanal private press).

■ In 1962 Reid received an unexpected mark of recognition –becoming the first “designer” to receive a Canada Council “Senior Artist” award. At that stage in his career, he had already attained more than a decade of experience as an active participant in Vancouver’s ALLIED ARTS movement (with its conspicuously co-operative community of architects, musicians, painters, book sellers,  landscape gardeners, product designers, poets, photographers, and advocates of experimental theatre). The uncompromising intelligence of his forward-looking design practice confirmed a consistently radical commitment to the ameliorative radicality of an advancing (post-WW11) modernity.

The scope of Reid’s project (which remains unchanged in his ninetieth year) can be vividly highlighted in relation to the critical erudition of George Poulet. That connoisseurial voice concisely reminds us of an ARS UNA ethos by remarking:

To know is a form of ubiquity. It has to do with being at one
and the same time in the entirety of the knowable world.

Poulet’s insights were published one year prior to Reid’s design award (a grant that allowed him to travel the globe). At the conclusion of his travels (in 1963),  he arrived in Montreal –to begin an immensely productive working relationship with  McGill University and its Press. The dynamics of Reid’s continually experimental relationship with both City and Institution are encompassed by a cogent observation, iterated forty years ago by Marshall McLuhan. He notes:

The world flipped around 1900. At that time Max Planck
explained with quantum mechanics that matter isn’t
continuous, that the material world has no connections,
that it is made up of, and held together by, resonant
interfaces. They marked the end of Newton, for whom
everything was linked.

Robert R. Reid’s work does not DECORATE the MATERIAL WORLD. Rather, it INFLECTS the PRESENT MOMENT with the prospect of POTENTIAL PRESENTIMENTS.

_________________________________________

We are pleased to be part of the multi -site exhibit on Robert Reid’s work on the occasion of this 90th birthday this year, thanks to David Bellman.

Please come and visit the Rare Books and Special Collections, located on the 4th floor of the McLennan Library Building in order to enjoy these and further digital designs, part of the on-going  Robert R. Reid Touch Table Exhibit.

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/presenting-reids-digital-designs/feed/ 0
Remembering / Se souvenir : Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/remembering-se-souvenir/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/remembering-se-souvenir/#respond Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:46:55 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2614 Continue reading ]]> Regina War Memorial Museum

Design for Regina War Memorial Museum (unbuilt) by Percy E. Nobbs is included in Part II of the exhibition

By Richard Virr, Rare Books and Special Collections

La version française suit
The Great War (1914-1918) left a permanent mark on Canada, both as a nation and as a people. The country had experienced conflict, both abroad on the battlefields of Europe, where Canadian forces had been engaged since September 1914, and at home with the conscription crisis that engulfed the country in 1917 and resulted in a change of government. By 1919, Canada was a very different place from what it had been in 1914.

Headline History of the Great War scrapbook

Headline History of the Great War, a scrapbook compiled by R.C. Featherstonhaugh, is included in Part I of the exhibition

On the Western Front in April 1917, the British army, including the Canadian Corps under the command of General Julian Byng, faced Vimy Ridge, a strongly-fortified seven-kilometre German defensive line in northern France. The military stalemate seemed unbreakable. Earlier French assaults on this position had resulted in over 100,000 casualties without breaching the German defences. Finally, Vimy Ridge was successfully stormed by the Canadian Corps in a three-day battle from April 9th through the 12th. The battle claimed the lives of 3,598 Canadian soldiers, with another 7,000 wounded.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge has become the embodiment of the Canadian experience of the Great War, and provided the inspiration for one of the most enduring images of the war in Canadian memory: the soaring cenotaph on Vimy Ridge. This memorial appears on the verso of our twenty-dollar bill.

The Vimy Memorial

Vimy Memorial, Illustrated London News, July 25, 1936, is included in Part I of the exhibition

This exhibition begins with Battle of Vimy Ridge itself and the memorial dedicated by His Majesty King Edward VIII in 1936. But it has another purpose: to explore how Canadians, in Montreal, at McGill University, and across the country, memorialized the bravery and sacrifices of its men and women during these years of war. Canada remembered by erecting cenotaphs and memorials in its cities, towns, and villages, and Canada remembers today every November 11th. Through objects, drawings, and photographs, these physical memorials are shown in their various stages of conception and realization. Though not all realized, these memorials are the aides mémoire of our national consciousness that served and continue to serve as markers of our national and communal life.

This exhibition will open in two stages: part I, devoted to the battle and the memorial, opened on Friday, April 7th and continues through November; part II, devoted to remembrance, will open on Friday, May 19th and continue to September 22nd.

The exhibition was curated by Jennifer Garland and Richard Virr, Rare Books and Special Collections, with the assistance of Lori Podolsky, McGill University Archives.


Se souvenir : Commémoration de la bataille de la crête de Vimy dans le cadre de son 100e anniversaire

Regina War Memorial Museum

Dessin conceptuel du musée commémoratif de la guerre de Regina (non construit) par Percy E. Nobbs, présenté dans le cadre de la seconde partie de l’exposition.

Par Richard Virr, Livres rares et collections spécialisées

La Grande Guerre (1914-1918) a laissé une marque indélébile sur le Canada, en tant que pays et en tant que peuple. Le pays avait connu des conflits, non seulement sur les champs de bataille en Europe, où les forces canadiennes étaient mobilisées depuis septembre 1914, mais également à l’intérieur de nos frontières où la crise de la conscription a secoué le pays, en 1917, et entraîné un changement de gouvernement. En 1919, le Canada était très différent de ce qu’il avait été en 1914.

Histoire de la Grande Guerre

Histoire de la Grande Guerre, album de découpures de grands titres préparé par R.C. Featherstonhaugh, présenté dans le cadre de la première partie de l’exposition.

En avril 1917, sur le front ouest, l’armée britannique, y compris le Corps canadien sous le commandement du général Julian Byng, se trouvait devant la crête de Vimy, une ligne défensive allemande puissamment fortifiée qui s’étendait sur une distance de sept kilomètres dans le nord de la France. Ce bastion semblait insurmontable. Les assauts précédents menés par les Français à cet endroit avaient entraîné la mort de plus de 100 000 soldats, mais n’avaient pas permis de percer la ligne défensive allemande. Finalement, le Corps canadien a réussi à s’emparer de la crête de Vimy au terme d’une bataille qui a duré trois jours, soit du 9 au 12 avril. Cette bataille a coûté la vie à 3 598 soldats canadiens et en a blessé 7 000 autres.

La bataille de Vimy incarne maintenant la participation du Canada à la Grande Guerre et elle a inspiré l’une des images les plus mémorables qu’ont les Canadiens de la guerre : le cénotaphe qui est érigé sur la crête de Vimy. Ce mémorial figure au verso de nos billets de vingt dollars.

Mémorial de Vimy, Illustrated London News, 25 juillet 1936, présenté dans le cadre de la première partie de l’exposition.

L’exposition commence par la bataille de Vimy elle-même et le mémorial offert au Canada par Sa Majesté le roi Édouard VIII en 1936. Elle présente aussi comment les Canadiens à Montréal, à l’Université McGill et partout au pays commémorent la bravoure et les sacrifices que les hommes et les femmes ont consentis pendant ces années de guerre. Le Canada se souvient grâce aux cénotaphes et aux monuments commémoratifs qui ont été érigés dans ses villes et villages, et au jour du Souvenir célébré chaque année, le 11 novembre. Par l’entremise d’objets, de dessins et de photographies, ces monuments sont présentés aux étapes de leur conception et de leur réalisation. Bien qu’ils n’aient pas tous vu le jour, ces monuments sont notre aide-mémoire collectif national et continuent de servir de marqueur au sein de notre existence en tant que nation et collectivité.

Cette exposition est présentée en deux étapes : la première partie, consacrée à la bataille et au mémorial, a commencé le vendredi 7 avril et se poursuit jusqu’en novembre, tandis que la seconde, consacrée au souvenir, commence le vendredi 19 mai et se poursuit jusqu’au 22 septembre.

L’exposition a été organisée et préparée par Jennifer Garland et Richard Virr de Livres rares et collections spécialisées, avec l’aide de Lori Podolsky, d’Archives de l’Université McGill

]]>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/remembering-se-souvenir/feed/ 0
Exhibit and Lecture https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibit-and-lecture/ https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibit-and-lecture/#respond Fri, 21 Apr 2017 22:57:34 +0000 http://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/?p=2600 Please join us 15 May 2017 from 4 to 6 pm.  All are welcome.

For more details on the exhibit click here.

]]> https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/exhibit-and-lecture/feed/ 0
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/feed/
blogs.library.mcgill.ca
crawl=CC-MAIN-2017-47
47819
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:FCA4WCRHNMJ4QDCAN3UYPXESJK74IOP7
<urn:uuid:6efc980f-33d6-42ab-a44d-df335871b9fc>
2017-11-23T05:23:58Z
132.216.17.177
application/rss+xml
sha1:2FZYFNJKENFRSITNQ7LBYVH6NTL7ERLW
<urn:uuid:25f4ed31-b6e1-4b51-9f75-2ef3b14a9a21>
https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/rbsc/feed/
length
response
<urn:uuid:8690ddd7-a2cf-4cf4-8414-985fd154628d>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-146-222-214.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-47
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for November 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf