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Rare Books and
Special Collections

Hours This Week

Reading Room

Hours of Operation

To request RBSC or UA materials to consult in the Reading Room, please schedule an appointment at least 24 hours in advance during weekday business hours.

Winter term II (Jan. – Apr., 2026)

Monday-Friday

10:00 am-2:00 pm

Closed on weekends and the following statutory holidays: Monday, February 16; Friday, April 3; Monday, April 6

The Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room has been temporarily relocated to Irving K. Barber Learning Centre room 142 due to upgrades.
source: https://wiki.ubc.ca/Library:RBSC_Hours

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
1961 East Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1

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Canadian Pacific Railway

Six Chinese men in white uniforms aboard a boat.

Stories of Chinese Sailors in Canada’s Maritime History

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on January 17, 2025

The history of Chinese sailors in Canada’s reveals a complex web of resilience, discrimination, and global interconnectedness. From the galleys of trans-Pacific steamships to the corridors of Ottawa, Chinese above and below deck were pivotal in the evolution of Canadian shipping, especially through 1880-1950. Often relegated to the most arduous and undervalued positions, they formed tight-knit communities, facilitated global trade, and faced systemic racism both onboard and ashore. This narrative ties their struggles and contributions to broader global trends, highlighting Vancouver as a critical hub in the network of Chinese seafarers across the British Empire and beyond.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, CPR, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Highlights, Immigration and Settlement, Research and learning | Tagged with British Chinese History, Canadian Pacific Railway, Chinese American History, Chinese Canadian History, Labour History, Maritime History, Sailors, Seamen, Trans-Pacific

A Menu from the 1932 New Year Meal on the Empress of Britain, featuring French cuisine

New Years 1932 Menu, the Empress of Britain World Cruise

By Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese on January 3, 2025

Journey with the opulent Empress of Britain in 1932, where New Year’s Day was celebrated with a lavish ten-course feast near the pyramids of Egypt. Explore this culinary journey through the Chung and Lind Collections at UBC’s Rare Books and Special Collections.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, CPR, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Highlights | Tagged with 1932, Canadian Pacific Railway, Empress of Britain, Food, Menus, New Years, Pamphlets, Posters, World Tour

The S.S. Tartar and the Tale of “Soapy” Smith

The S.S. Tartar and the Tale of “Soapy” Smith

By Emily Witherow on December 21, 2024

This blog post is part of RBSC’s new series spotlighting items in the Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection and the Wallace B. and Madeline H. Chung Collection.

Posted in Chung, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, CPR, EarlyBC, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Immigration and Settlement, Lind, Research and learning | Tagged with Canadian Pacific Railway, Chung Collection, Chung Lind Gallery, Klondike Gold Rush, Lind Collection

CPR steamer SS Princess Sophia at sail, 1907

The Northland’s Greatest Disaster – The Sinking of the SS Princess Sophia

By Emily Witherow on November 29, 2024

By 1918, the world had all but forgotten the Klondike, but on October 25th of that year the tragic sinking of the CPR steamer SS Princess Sophia in the Lynn Canal, causing the deaths of all 343 of her passengers, shocked the world and reminded BC residents of the shrinking mining communities across the Yukon and Alaska.

Posted in Carousel, Chung | Lind Gallery, Collections, Exhibitions, Frontpage Exhibition, Lind | Tagged with BC Coast Steamships, Canadian Pacific Railway, Dawson City, Phil Lind Klondike Gold Rush Collection, Seattle, SS Princess Sophia, Vancouver, Victoria

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