UBC Library’s Open Collections include digital photos, books, newspapers, maps, videos, theses and more. These publicly-accessible collections are constantly growing and reflect the research interests of the UBC community and beyond.
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Featured Collections
Collected over many years and donated by Phil Lind to the UBC Library, the Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection contains over 3,000 items, including books, maps, photographs, postcards, prints, artifacts and more, documenting the pivotal events of the Klondike Gold Rush.
In 1999, the Chung family made an exceptional gift to the University of British Columbia Library, with their donation of The Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection, containing more than 25,000 rare and unique items (documents, books, maps, posters, paintings, photographs, silver, glass, ceramic ware and other artifacts).
Uno Langmann Family Collection of British Columbia Photographs, donated by Uno and Dianne Langmann and Uno Langmann Limited, consists of more than 18,000 rare and unique early photographs from the 1850s to the 1970s.
The BC Historical Newspapers project features digitized versions of historical papers from around the province. The titles, which range from the Abbotsford Post to the Phoenix Pioneer, date from 1865 to 1989.
BC Historical Books is a collaborative venture to combine the traditional tools of bibliography with the new tools of the digital world to transform our understanding of and insight into the history and life of British Columbia.
University Publications & Serials provides on-line access to scanned copies of newspapers and other periodicals published at the University of British Columbia. Collectively, these publications comprise more than 67,000 pages that chronicle the historical evolution of the University.
UBC theses and dissertations both current and retrospective are available online via cIRcle, the university’s digital repository. Since 2007, this collection has provided open access to graduate research ranging from the cutting edge to the first graduate degrees awarded at UBC in 1919.
The Library is undertaking a major project to digitize and provide access to the unique research carried out by UBC graduate students. To help commemorate the University’s 100th anniversary this resource was created to provide access to the first 100 theses written at the University.
The Banff International Research Station (BIRS) seeks to bring together specialists from mathematical, scientific and industry backgrounds through a forum for the exchange of knowledge and methods. The BIRS Workshop Lecture Videos are primary research data in the disciplines of mathematics, statistics and theoretical computer science.
UBC Library’s Open Collections are developed and maintained by the Digitization Centre and cIRcle.
All materials in Open Collections are openly accessible to everyone and will be preserved for future generations. Contact us for further inquiries.
UBC Library works to ensure that content and metadata in Open Collections aligns with our values of openness, belonging, connection and curiosity. We welcome you to review the Open Collections Content Advisory Statement.
