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. Open Collections are comprised of materials from RBSC’s holdings, as well as other collections from around the University. RBSC-specific digitized collections are listed below, but be sure to browse all available collections.
Ancient Artefacts
Andrew McCormick Maps and Prints
Association of University and College Employees (AUCE) fonds
BC Historical Books
BC Historical Documents
Berkeley 1968-1973 Poster Collection
Capilano Timber Company Fonds
Charles Darwin Letters
Chinese Rare Books
The Chung Collection
David Conde fonds
Dorothy Burnett Bookbinding Tools
Emma Crosby Letters
Fisherman Publishing Society Collection
Florence Nightingale Letters
French Revolution
German Consulate fonds
H. Bullock-Webster fonds
H. Colin Slim Stravinsky Collection
Historical Children’s Literature Collection
Interim Forest Cover Series Maps
Japanese Canadian Photograph Collection
Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa Era
Japanese Special Collection
The Japanese Special Collection contains digitized versions of select materials from the Japanese rare collection housed in Rare Books and Special Collections and other distinctive Japanese language materials owned by the UBC Library. The digitization of these materials was made possible by a generous donation from the David Mark Graham Memorial Fund donors and a grant from the Japan Foundation, Toronto.
John Keenlyside Legal Research Collection
Kinesis
MacMillan Bloedel Limited fonds
Meiji at 150
Peter Anderson fonds
R. Mathison Collection
RBSC Bookplates
Royal Fisk Gold Rush Letters
Shakespeare First Folio
A first edition of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. Published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio includes 36 of Shakespeare’s 38 known plays. The texts, edited by Shakespeare’s close friends, fellow writers and actors, are considered the most authoritative of all early printings. The First Folio, formerly owned by a private collector in the US, was purchased through Christie’s New York with funding provided by a consortium of donors from across North America and with the generous support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Tremaine Arkley Croquet Collection
UBC Library Framed Works Collection
Uno Langmann Family Collection of British Columbia Photographs
Western Manuscripts and Early Printed Books
World War I British press photograph collection
WWI & WWII Posters
In addition to the collections listed above, a number of individual items from Rare Books and Special Collections have been digitized as part of UBC Library Digitization Centre Special Projects, including the highlights below.