Course on Writing Local History

This sounds like an interesting course at SFU:

We can’t alter the past, but we can create history. In this course we will examine practical approaches to writing the history of the people, places, and events that interest us.

The focus is on finding approaches that work for you and your project, from collecting documentary and oral evidence, shaping it into something meaningful, putting words on paper (or screen), and sharing the finished product.

We will consider how to add significance to a research project while enriching our own “historical consciousness.”

This course is most suited to people who have a history project in mind, have begun to identify and consider evidence, and have read something about their topic but are uncertain how to put their thoughts into writing.

It will be taught by Eric Damer, PhD, wrote MA and PhD theses at UBC on educational history and subsequently published three books in that field. He has an article in the upcoming spring issue of British Columbia History about UBC’s new teacher training programs in the 1920s.

Canada's Digitization Efforts

Interesting article from The Tyee about Canada's grassroots approach to digitization.

British Columbia History 43.4

The Scottish Nightingale Still Haunts Vancouver by Janet Nicol
An unsolved crime haunts the prestigious Shaughnessy neighbourhood in Vancouver’s west side. Was there a cover-up? Pay-offs? So many unanswered questions linger today.

West Beyond the West: Digitization Symposium by Chuck Davis
December 1–2, 2008 at UBC over 120 delegates from across the province met to learn about and discuss digitization projects underway and how communities can work together.
Museum at Campbell River Digitization Project by Catherine Gilbert
The past has been brought into the future with the launching of a new and exciting interactive website dedicated to the logging history of Northern Vancouver Island.

Historical Perspective by Jacqueline Gresko
Jacqueline spoke at the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada Plaque Unveiling Ceremony Commemorating Susan Louisa Moir Allison, September 4, 2010, Princeton, BC.

Jacoby Bros. Ltd., Manufacturing Jewellers by Ronald Greene
Jacoby Bros. was a prolific producer of BC Gold souvenirs with an oddly American flavour using their old drop hammer to strike these collector pieces.

Happy Birthday, BC
In 2010 British Columbians are marking significant anniversaries of enduring institutions, communities, and events. Just a few of the many notable birthdays can be mentioned here.

Home in the Midst of Industry: 500 Block by Chantal Morin
Each year, the British Columbia Historical Federation offers two W. Kaye Lamb Scholarships for student essays relating to the history of British Columbia. Chantal Morin is the winner of the $750 prize for a student in the 1st or 2nd year university or college.

Archives & Archivists by Angela Williams; edited by Sylvia Stopforth
Angela Williams, Director, Business and Operational Services at The Royal BC Museum talks about their role as the stewards of the past and leaders of the future.

From the Book Review Editor’s Desk by K. Jane Watt

Book Reviews

Index of Vol. 39 No. 1 to 39 No.4, 2006 Compiled by Melva J. Dwyer

Miscellany

Postcards from Powell River

Cabinets of Curiosities by Cecil C. Coutts, author, Cancelled with Pride: A History of Chilliwack Area Post Offices 1865-1993, talks about the resolution of a mail mystery.

Check it out on the Magazine Association of BC site.