UBC Reports | Vol. 50 | No. 10 | Nov. 4, 2004

TimePiece 1955

UBC History, at Your Fingertips

By Brian Lin

UBC’s past is stepping into the future with the completion of a digitization project that will give easy access to a treasure trove of historical information dating as far back as 1918.

For the past year and a half, UBC Archives has been working on a project to digitize more than 53,000 pages of UBC newspapers and periodicals, including UBC Reports, The Ubyssey and Alumni Chronicle. Aimed at saving these publications from the ravages of time and increasing their accessibility, UBC Archives has created an electronic repository available to the world through the Internet, including a powerful keyword search engine.

Using an electronic tool called image over text, the online archive allows the user to conjure up relevant documents in mere seconds -- complete with photos and illustrations -- in PDF format. Keywords are even highlighted for easy reference -- a far cry from tracking down microfilm tucked deep in a drawer and physically scanning hundreds of pages for a quote.
“In creating these new digital resources and providing the tools to search through tens of thousands of pages of material, we will substantially enhance access to these invaluable sources of UBC’s history,” says university archivist Chris Hives.

The project is made possible by financial support from the Graduating Class 2002/03 (as part of its graduating gift to UBC), the President’s Office, UBC Library, Public Affairs Office, the Alumni Association and the Ubyssey Publications Society. The online archive will be available by late November at http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/ubcpubs/.