“Canadian Bank of Commerce staff during the Spanish flu epidemic, Calgary, Alberta.” 1918, [NA-964-22].

Courtesy of Glenbow Archives, Archives and Special Collections, University of Calgary. 

 

Glenbow Library and Archives research services still available

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has closed the Glenbow Western Research Centre (GWRC), some research services are still available.

The GWRC closed in mid-March when the University of Calgary closed its campus and moved classes online. As a result, it’s not possible to access the Glenbow’s library books and archival materials until the pandemic ends.

In the meantime, University of Calgary staff responsible for the Glenbow Library and Archives are doing what they can to help researchers with questions about western Canada’s premier archival collections.

Reference questions

Archives Reference Specialist Kim Geraldi says she is still able to offer some reference services.

Geraldi is working from home like the rest of the UCalgary staff. Even so, she has access to online materials, such as the library catalogue, the digital photographs, and the finding aids.

However, she’s unable to access individual folders or boxes to look for files related to a request as she usually would.

And, unfortunately, just because a finding aid for a collection is available online, it doesn’t mean the materials in that collection are also online.

“If there are books or newspapers, or other institutions, I can point them to further their research; I will do that. We are still trying to connect people to the right resources,” says Geraldi.

“We just don’t have the capacity to take on projects that require us doing any physical research for patrons at this time.”

Some requests will have to wait until the pandemic ends.

In the meantime, when submitting a reference request, Geraldi encourages people to be as specific as possible, as that can help her answer questions or access resources.

Digital photograph requests

Researchers looking for digital photographs for their projects can still order high-resolution files via the digital collection.

Digitization technician Anita Dammer says she can usually meet the usual turnaround time of 10 business days. But, she added, there’s no guarantee on timelines at the moment.

Rush orders can only be accommodated if requested photographs have already been digitized. Otherwise, filling rush orders is not possible at this time.

All image reproduction fees still apply.

Currently, there is no projected date for UCalgary and the GWRC to re-open.

We are, however, planning to continue sharing stories about the Glenbow Library and Archives, so please subscribe or check back in two weeks to see what’s new.

For any questions about the Glenbow Library and Archives collection, contact archives@ucalgary.ca.