Library news

In May 2025, a new exhibit providing a glimpse into the life and work of Cree Chief, lawyer, and Indigenous rights activist Wilton Littlechild was installed in the lobby of the Diana M. Priestly Library. The display brings together letters, notes, and documents from Littlechild’s thirty-plus year career, courtesy of UVic Libraries Special Collections & University Archives, as well as books from the library's circulating collections.

When UVic professor Ray Siemens first arrived at the University of Victoria, he saw the digital future and embraced its erudite possibilities. In his 2004-2015 role as Canada Research Chair in Humanities Computing, he became a difference-maker in the burgeoning field of digital humanities.

This summer, UVic Libraries will be launching a new website.

In British Columbia, Hansard was instituted in 1970, in a limited fashion, with the publication of full debates starting in 1972. Between 1891 and 1970, newspaper reports were relied on for accounts of the debates of the legislature. The Legislative Library would clip any such reports from the local papers and preserved the clippings in sessional clipping books. It was the unofficial accounts of various newspapers and other print outlets that covered the highly secretive debates of the legislature.

In spring 2025, interdisciplinary scholar and documentary photographer Nathaniel Brunt launched the Sersal Project with a series of powerful exhibitions and public activities marking the Yazidi New Year.

In 2024, UVic Libraries ran a campus-wide survey to gather insight on the needs and satisfaction of our users. One year later, we are following up about the actions we’ve taken that respond to some of that feedback.

The Summer Reading Challenge 2025 will award contest entries to participants in exchange for each book and/or piece of media that they read/consume and record on their contest form from May 5 - August 29, 2025.

Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) holds a unique collection of textbooks used in British Columbia’s (BC) public schools since the province joined the Confederation of Canada in 1871. Curated by Education Librarian, Pia Russell, the British Columbia Historical Textbooks (BCHT) collection is a well-used and growing corpus of school books that records the remarkable, and often challenging, history of BC.

I first met poet Richard Osler when I travelled to his home in the Cowichan Valley with my colleague Heather Dean, Associate Director of Special Collections. Richard had contacted us about a potential donation, and Heather and I went together on a sunny afternoon in September 2023 to meet him and learn more about his collection.

The University Art Collections is pleased to loan “Split Raven Scarf” by Kwakwaka’wakw artist, Ḵaḵaso’las-Ellen Neel (née Newman) (1916-1966) to the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) for the upcoming exhibition We Come from Great Wealth: Ḵaḵaso’las-Ellen Neel and the Totem Carvers, at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

On February 12, UVic Libraries proudly co-sponsored the 8th annual ELC Research-a-Thon, an event organized by UVic’s Environmental Law Club in support of the Environmental Law Centre’s public interest work. The Research-a-Thon is a one-day event with a powerful goal: to harness the collective energy of law students to produce high-quality research in a short time frame, contributing to real-world environmental law issues in British Columbia.

Students who attend a research help appointment with a librarian between March 11 – April 4, 2025 and complete a user satisfaction survey for that service can enter to win a $10 OneCard guest card (one prize available). The prize will be awarded via random draw.

Students attending ATWP Write-In 2025 are encouraged to participate in a 2-question user experience survey and random draw at this event.

Students attending DeStress Fest Spring 2025 are encouraged to participate in a 2-question user experience survey and random draw at this event.

Retired architect Don Lovell reflects back on 60 years of the McPherson Library.

Reflecting on the work life of Terrence Tuey worked in the McPherson Library for 39 years as a circulation student assistant from 1967-71, and then as a library assistant evening supervisor.

Step back into the 1960s and experience artworks from The Point Group, a modernist collective of Victoria artists formed in 1959.

First Generation Students are encouraged to participate in a user experience survey and random draw at an event co-hosted by UVic Libraries (Engagement and Learning) and the First In Class mentorship program.

UVic international students who attend the Libraries’ orientation workshop on January 13, 2025 are eligible for a random prize draw of a $20 ONECard upon completion of a short user experience survey on January 13, 2025.

As part of the renovation of the first floor of the Mearns - McPherson Library, we have installed four Tek Booths. Tek Booths are private, enclosed booths perfect for Zooming into classes or focusing on solo work. They provide power, wireless Internet, and an ergonomic work surface. Four booths will be installed around the main floor of the library, available for booking through our existing room booking system. Look for our new Tek Booths in late March, and for an opportunity to give us feedback about them soon after that!