A new historical collections website was unveiled at the Redpath Museum last Thursday. After years of collaboration, the museum’s Heritage Advisory Committee has centralized the previously scattered collection of pages for easier access to departmental and special library collections, museums, and the nature reserves.
The launch gave McGill Principal Heather Munroe-Blum, along with students, staff, and the general public, a chance to gain insight into the extent of the collection. Ingrid Birker, science outreach coordinator, likens this collection to a “treasure trove, a cabinet of curiosity,” that arose from the continuous acquisition or donation of artifacts that began prior to the establishment of the university itself. The result is a vast and unique combination of items, including Ernest Rutherford’s scientific equipment and notes.
Much of the collection remains hidden from the public eye, split between a number of locations on both of McGill’s campuses. It was fitting that the launch took place at the Redpath Museum, one of Canada’s oldest free standing museums.
“[It is frustrating because] they have amazing items that are hidden, scattered on various Internet pages,” said graduate student Duncan Cowie.
Hopes are high that the new website will be resourceful and easy to navigate. The site contains the digital collections, and is organized into categories. Subject matter, background information, and photographs can be accessed and explored with the mere click of a button.
The online collection allows a much wider audience to access the information. The publication is a continuation of what the old collection offered, and it is now accessible for McGill’s faculty, staff, and students. In addition to being “an important resource for McGill students to do research on a variety of subject areas,” this represents yet another way, alongside documentary screenings, public lectures, and discovery workshops, to reach out to the Montreal community.
The historical collection includes artifacts such as the Napoleon collection, the Ming-Qing Women’s Writing Digitalization project, and the Mirrors Emily Bamforth, allowing for the exploration of an extensive number of artifacts.
According to Birker, the real significance of the launch lies in its ability to be “a wonderful platform to capture McGill’s treasures,” and take individuals “behind the scenes.”
