[Bcma-l] FOR LISTSERV POSTING - UBC Media Release 10-July-07: B.C. history jumps into digital age thanks to UBC's Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

[bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca]

MEDIA RELEASE | JULY 10, 2007
B.C. history jumps into digital age thanks to UBC's Irving K. Barber
Learning Centre 

A treasure trove of B.C. directories, oral histories, community
newspapers, video art, architectural plans and much more will soon be
available online thanks to a unique initiative from the Irving K. Barber
Learning Centre at UBC.

Launched in 2006, the Learning Centre's British Columbia History
Digitization Program provides funds to digitize projects on B.C.
heritage. The program aims to make original and historical documents
more accessible to the public.

Earlier this year, the Learning Centre selected 17 successful
applicants, whose projects are expected to be completed and ready for
free online viewing within a year. These include First Nations and
Indo-Canadian oral histories, community newspapers from Prince George
and White Rock, seminal 
B.C. video art and architectural plans of demolished buildings in
Victoria. 

City directories, dating from 1860-1901, will also be made available in
a Web-searchable format. These historical directories - to be digitized
by the Vancouver Public Library - provide fascinating snapshots of a
bygone era. Classified, industry, and Vancouver and Victoria directories
are among the featured items, which illustrate the growth and
development of various local communities over time. 

"As we begin to collect the digitization projects into a single place,
we'll create a portal where people can find out about their own
history," says Jan Wallace, Interim Director of the Learning Centre. 

Digitization involves scanning and converting images, sound or print
materials like books and documents into digital files that can be viewed
or heard on a computer.

The digitization program supports the goals of the Learning Centre -
named in honour of Irving K. Barber, who donated more than $20 million
to develop the facility - to provide lifelong learning opportunities for
the people of British Columbia. 

"This is one of the most exciting programs of the Irving K. Barber
Learning Centre, and it perfectly illustrates the spirit of Dr. Barber's
gift," says Wallace.

Other projects include the digitization of nearly 3,400 images from the
Revelstoke Railway Museum and more than 5,200 slides of the VanDusen
Garden. A complete listing of the projects underway is available at
www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/ps/2007Projects.html.

"To my knowledge, we're the only institution of higher education in
Canada or perhaps the world that's taking the lead on digitizing
community history," says Chris Hives, University Archivist, noting that
funding for digitization projects usually comes from federal or
provincial governments.

The British Columbia History Digitization Program provides up to
$200,000 in overall annual matching funds. The program provides three
funding categories for organizations involved with the preservation of
historical provincial material, such as libraries, archives, museums,
post-secondary institutions and community groups. The next round of
program applications will begin in September 2007 (see
www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/ps/BCDigitInfo.html for more
information). 

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About Irving K. Barber and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

Irving K. Barber graduated from UBC in 1950, and went on to an esteemed
forestry career. In 1978, at the age of 55, Dr. Barber founded Slocan
Forest Products Ltd., which he built into a leading North American
lumber producer.

In 2002, Dr. Barber donated more than $20 million for the construction
of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British
Columbia. The B.C. Government contributed $10 million and UBC matched
these sums.

The Learning Centre, constructed around the historic core of UBC's Main
Library, provides resources and services to support lifelong learning
and research for users at UBC, throughout the province and beyond.

Phase one of the Learning Centre opened in October 2005, and the second
and final phase is scheduled to open in late 2007. For more information,
visit www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca.

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CONTACT

Glenn Drexhage
Communications Officer, 
UBC Library/Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Tel: 604.827.3434
E-mail: glenn.drexhage@ubc.ca

Jan Wallace
Interim Director
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Tel: 604.822.2298
E-mail: jan.wallace@ubc.ca

Chris Hives
University Archivist, UBC Library
Tel: 604.827.3951
E-mail: chris.hives@ubc.ca