LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KF3989 .M58 2024
M.J. Mitten et al, Sports Law: Governance and Regulation, 4th ed (Aspen Publishing, 2024).
LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KF3989 .S6775 2024
M.J. Mitten et al,, Sports Law and Regulation: Cases, Materials, and Problems, 6th ed (Aspen Publishing, 2024).
LAW LIBRARY level 3: KNX568 .M38 2025
Matsui Shigenori, Shirōzu Takashi cho, Dōseikon to kenpō
松井茂記, 白水隆著 / 同性婚と憲法
(Tōkyō : Nihon Hyōronsha, 2025).
(東京 : 日本評論社, 2025).
Image courtesy of UBC Library Communications and Marketing.
I started my work as the Digital Repository Research Assistant at the cIRcle Office last September as I entered my third year of my MAS/MLIS program. Through my graduate coursework and professional positions, I had experience with digital asset creation and metadata processing; I also understood many of the conceptual frameworks of open access and digital preservation. Working at the cIRcle office solidified what I had previously learned, enhanced my understanding of digital preservation and open access exponentially, broadened my skill sets, and allowed me to build entirely new competencies. The hands-on, day-to-day work that I undertook at cIRcle, in addition to the training and support that I received from my colleagues, has ultimately made me a more competent and thoughtful information professional.
A primary responsibility in this position was to provide support for cIRcle’s mediated deposit service through the creation of records in DSpace. This deposit process involved preparing files for submission by converting files to appropriate formats, renaming files to align with cIRcle File Naming Conventions, and creating metadata per cIRcle’s metadata standards. The digital records I created at cIRcle were of a wide variety, ranging significantly in format and content. Some submissions easily followed established patterns and standards, while others were more complex, requiring further research and unique decisions. Once a submission was complete, I also notified faculty members, students, and staff that their work was now available openly in cIRcle.
Another aspect of my submission work consisted of publisher policy review to help identify and process items eligible for cIRcle. This included contributions to a pilot content recruitment initiative in collaboration with the Downtown Eastside Research Access Portal (DTES RAP), which brings together reports, articles, and other resources about Vancouver’s DTES. I reviewed the self-archiving permissions of identified UBC faculty-authored research articles that are published in paywalled journals and of relevance to the DTES community, to determine if they could legally be made openly available. I used JISC Open Policy Finder to get a sense of initial direction, and sifted through publisher websites to find and review their self-archiving policies, allowing me to establish what was permitted for deposit to an institutional repository.
I also worked to revise and expand the cIRcle File Naming Conventions. This included drafting changes based on a report on best practices in file naming created by a prior cIRcle Digital Repository Research Assistant. I collaborated with the cIRcle Office to draft and implement the recommended edits into the guide. This process also included editing the Submitting Theses and Dissertations to cIRcle and Submitting Creative Arts Theses and Dissertations to cIRcle guides to align. This project provided me with a deep understanding of file naming conventions for digital repositories, hands-on MediaWiki experience, and stronger project collaboration skills.
I also contributed to metadata remediation efforts during my time at cIRcle. This process involved editing and changing metadata for previously identified items to bring them up to date with the current best practices at the cIRcle Office and in the broader library field. This included a data population and reconciliation project for a subset of identified graduate theses and dissertations, as well as an oral history project. The recommended changes identified across these projects will ensure that the metadata accurately reflects the items’ content and improves their aggregation in Open Collections. It will also increase the discoverability of these items through improved searchability, making said items more open and accessible to all users.
Another significant aspect of my work at cIRcle was contributing content to the cIRcle blog. This included highlighting existing works available in cIRcle and discussing their implications, impacts, and alignment with cIRcle’s mission. I also wrote blog posts that demonstrated the work cIRcle does—such as a file naming conventions blog post that accompanied the larger project—and how significant this work is to UBC Library and the overall UBC community. This included a blog post addressing the effects of file formats on accessibility, which can serve as a resource to help potential submitters understand how they can prepare their files in a way that creates accessible and long lasting digital resources.
The work I have undertaken at cIRcle, in addition to the guidance and support I received from my colleagues, has been a formative experience in my continuing journey as an information professional. I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to support cIRcle’s mission of promoting UBC’s intellectual output in a free and open way, encouraging teaching, learning, and research, and preserving materials for current and upcoming generations. Through my work here, I was able to contribute to creating a better internet through open access and digital preservation, and I hope to continue doing so in the future.
Have you heard of Sandon, a historic former silver mining town, now known as a ghost town? If you’re traveling through the Kootenay region these days, it’s definitely one of the most popular heritage tourism sites to visit.
As you set out on a scenic wilderness drive, winding along a rugged and twisting road, you’ll eventually come upon this quiet, desolate place. Nestled high in the Selkirk Mountain Range, Sandon sits in a narrow valley built right over Carpenter Creek. Once a thriving community, the town was home to more than 5,000 people at its peak, with countless stores and businesses lining its streets.
Sandon, once known as the “Heart of the Silvery Slocan,” was founded in 1891 as a fast-growing but unplanned mining boomtown in the Carpenter Creek valley. Initially, settlers built freely without formal governance until J. M. Harris staked a legal townsite in 1892 and became a dominant figure in its development. The town was incorporated in 1898. Around this time, in the mid-to-late 1890s, residents had begun developing basic services such as a fire department, a school, and hydroelectric power, along with infrastructure like flumes, boardwalks, and civic buildings to improve sanitation and organize the growing community.
Behind this prosperity, however, was the harsh reality of miners’ lives. In the 1890s, miners in Sandon worked under dangerous conditions for low and often uncertain wages, facing frequent injury, illness, and isolation. The arrival of experienced American miners brought strong labour activism, leading to the formation of the Sandon Miners’ Union in 1898 under the Western Federation of Miners. The union fought for better wages, safer working conditions, improved living standards, and an eight-hour workday. Tensions with mine owners escalated into strikes and lockouts, bringing widespread hardship to the miners. The conflict eventually led to a compromise: miners secured an eight-hour workday but had to accept reduced wages, leaving many issues unresolved.
Wonderful Mine, Sandon, B.C., [between 1870 and 1910?]
Ruth Mine, Star Mountain, Sandon, B.C., before 1911
Despite its early success, Sandon faced major setbacks in the years that followed. In addition to prolonged labour disputes, the town was hit by a devastating fire in 1900, declining silver prices, and a population decline. These factors contributed to economic collapse, and by 1913 the town had fallen into receivership. Like many interior boomtowns, Sandon’s prosperity was short-lived. It was eventually abandoned in 1955 after the silver ran out, and a flash flood later destroyed much of what remained.
Sandon’s story is about more than its mining past; it is also deeply connected to the history of Japanese internment in Canada. In 1941, nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians were stripped of their rights, property, and possessions, and labeled “enemy aliens” following the Imperial Japanese Navy’s surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Of these, approximately 12,000 were forcibly relocated and incarcerated in camps across the interior of British Columbia, including Sandon. The camp in Sandon housed about 953 internees and was designated as a Buddhist community, as the wartime BC Security Commission segregated internees by religion. Sandon was chosen because of its many abandoned buildings and existing infrastructure.
Sandon camp, [between 1940 and 1949?]
Internees carried out essential labor such as repairing infrastructure, renovating buildings, and supporting wartime efforts. Despite minimal supervision due to the town’s remote location, they largely governed themselves, maintaining order and managing the camp’s daily operations. Though conditions were harsh, isolated, and winters severe (earning Sandon the nickname “Camp Hell-Hole”), the internees established a functioning community with schools, religious spaces, and cultural activities. For the first time since the town’s economic decline, Sandon was once again bustling with hundreds of residents. The camp eventually closed due to extreme weather, and most internees were relocated to nearby New Denver.
Sandon Buddhist Church kindergarten class, 1942
Two Japanese Canadian girls in traditional dress participating in Bon Festival at Sandon Camp, 1942
Today, as you walk through Sandon, you’ll see some restored buildings and abandoned homes – relics of its past, that tell the story of a once-booming town. You can visit the Silversmith Power & Light Generating Station, which is still in operation today, and explore a unique collection of Brill buses, featuring various models from cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Regina. The Sandon Historical Society Museums, located in the beautifully restored Slocan Mercantile Block in Sandon, are still in operation and welcome visitors from around the world.
Buildings at Sandon, B.C., 1971
You can explore more photos of Sandon in UBC’s Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs and the Japanese Canadian Photograph Collection.
For more historical information about Sandon, visit this site.
Japanese Canadian Communities In BC: Before Relocation (2019)
Japan In Focus: Part 2 – Exploring Materials Related To Japanese Canadian During World War II (2024)
Explore Open Collections: Japanese Canadian Photograph Collection (2016)
Japanese Internment (2017)
Japanese Canadian Internment at Tashme (2019)
Baseball at Internment Camps (2012)
Snapshots of British Columbia’s Ghost Towns: Part 1—The Corbin Miners’ Strike (2025)
Snapshots of British Columbia’s Ghost Towns: Part 2—Barkerville’s Chinatown (2025)
Anyox, British Columbia: A town That Got Lost, But Permeates Our Collection (2023)
Sandon Museum. 2022. “Step Back In Time.” https://www.sandonmuseum.ca/
Sandon Musuem. 2022. “From Boom to Bust in 20 Years: Sandon’s History as an Incorporated City.” https://www.sandonmuseum.ca/social-history/52-from-boom-to-bust-in-20-years/
Sandon Musuem. 2022. “World War II : The Japanese-Canadian Internment Years in Sandon.” https://www.sandonmuseum.ca/social-history/57-world-war-ii/
Sandon Musuem. 2022. “Solidarity Forever – The Western Federation of Miners and the One Big Union.” https://www.sandonmuseum.ca/mining-history/48-solidarity-forever/
LAW LIBRARY learning commons (level 2): KE183 .D84 2023
N. McCormack, Pocket Dictionary of Canadian Law, 6th ed (Thomson Reuters, 2023).
The Chung | Lind Gallery is pleased to announce that gallery drop-in tours are now offered every Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. PDT. Led by Rare Books and Special Collections and the University Archives archivists, tours can take up to 60 minutes and begin in the Gallery foyer. Located on Level 2 of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, the Gallery is free and open to the public.
Join us for a guided experience through exhibits from the Wallace B. Chung and Madeline H. Chung Collection and the Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection, two exceptional UBC Library collections. Featuring hundreds of objects on display, the Gallery houses Klondike Gold Rush maps, letters and photographs, alongside rare documents and artifacts related to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, early British Columbia history and the immigration and settlement of Chinese people in North America.
“I’m really excited about the upcoming tours as they’re an opportunity to connect with visitors over the unique narratives the Chung | Lind Gallery showcases regarding British Columbia’s complex and diverse past,” says Nataliya Radke, Archivist at University Archives. “Whether visitors join me for a guided deep-dive into stories of the Gold Rush and early immigration or prefer to explore at their own pace, it’s a privilege to share this work with others and discover how these early journeys continue to shape our collective identity in British Columbia today.”
Drop-in tours offer visitors a chance to explore the histories represented in these collections, ask questions, and consider the ongoing relationship between past perspectives and life today.
“Growing up in Vancouver, I’ve always been curious about local history and understanding how the place I call home came to be – a curiosity that led me to study early British Columbia history and begin a career as an archivist,” says Laura Moberg, Archivist at Rare Books and Special Collections. “The Chung | Lind Gallery offers a unique window into Pacific Northwest history by weaving together broader themes of transnational migration, economic development, and settler-colonial expansion, with stories of how everyday people navigated life during these tumultuous times. I encourage everyone to come by the gallery to learn more about these complex histories, and perhaps consider their legacies in our own lives today.”
Interested in booking a tour for your class or large group? Contact us to schedule an appointment by phone (604-822-3053) or email (rare.books@ubc.ca).
UBC Library is pleased to announce the 2026 recipients of the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research.
Launched in 2023, the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research is a way to showcase students’ effective and innovative use of library services, information experts and resources provided by UBC Library. The Prize was established by UBC Library to encourage more and deeper use of its resources and collections, to advance information literacy at UBC, and to promote academic excellence at UBC.
This year’s winners:
“I am thrilled by the continued research excellence demonstrated by this year’s winners,” says University Librarian Dr. Susan E. Parker. “Each year, it is a pleasure to recognize the diverse ways that undergraduate students engage with UBC Library resources, and I congratulate our five winners on their fascinating projects.”
Adjudication for the prize was carried out by a committee that included librarian, faculty and student representation from both UBCO and UBCV and was led by Aleteia Greenwood, Associate University Librarian, Research and Scholarship. Notably, the committee’s student representatives are previous winners of the Prize.
“Once again, we received a number of high-quality applications for this year’s prize,” says Greenwood. “The adjudication committee enjoyed reading the submissions: they were creative, and students showed a real interest in the value and use of the library. It was great to see the breadth of entries from arts and sciences, and from both campuses.”
Prizes will be awarded at a reception to be held in May. Congratulations to Nathan, Anvi, Lara, Oluwadabira and Cara!
Learn more about the UBC Undergraduate Prize in Library Research and how you can apply for the 2027 prize, or support the prize going forward.
LAW LIBRARY reference room (level 2): KE1328 .H37 2024
C. Harvey & D. MacPherson, Agency and Partnership Law Primer, 6th ed (Thomson Reuters, 2024).
LAW LIBRARY level 3: KE5759 .F54 2024
J. Fleming, CFE Tax: A Guide to Understanding the Basics of Canadian Income Taxation, 9th ed (Thomson Reuters, 2024).
LAW LIBRARY level 3: KE4765 .B47 2024
R. Bessner & S. Lightstone, Public Inquiries in Canada: Law and Practice, 2nd ed (Thomson Reuters Canada, 2024).
LAW LIBRARY level 3: KF590 .F45 2024
R.A. Feldman, Residential Tenancies, 12th ed (Thomson Reuters, 2024).