Identity area
Identifier
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
Type
- Library
Contact area
Type
Address
Street address
Locality
Region
Country name
Postal code
Telephone
Fax
Note
Alternate e-mail: special.collections@vpl.ca
Description area
History
Geographical and cultural context
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
Records management and collecting policies
Buildings
Holdings
Vancouver Public Library Special Collections maintains a heritage collection concerned with the history of British Columbia. Materials focus on the early history and exploration of British Columbia and the Northwest coast, the Yukon prior to 1898, early Oregon and Washington to 1846, Alaska prior to 1867, and the Klondike gold rush. The collection is particularly strong in the history of Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Also emphasized is the history of the First Nations people of British Columbia as well as the history of ethnic groups. The Northwest Collection contains about 27,000 books, serials, maps, audio-visual materials (video and audio cassettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs), microforms (microfiche and microfilm) and about 3,000 pamphlets and ephemera, covering the history of the Pacific Northwest. Dates range from the late 1780s to current titles on British Columbia.
The Northwest Collection also includes early British Columbia newspapers on microfilm.
Finding aids, guides and publications
Access to the collection is provided through the Library catalogue for books, maps, government publications, directories and audio-visual materials. The Northwest Subject Card Index provides access to pamphlets, newspaper and magazine articles, book chapters, ephemera, and information about ships and shipping. The card index was closed in August 1998 - citations to material indexed after August 1998 can be found online in the British Columbia Index at https://www.vpl.ca/digital-library/british-columbia-index.
The library has a comprehensive set of British Columbia City Directories, from 1860-2000 (1996 for Vancouver), available on microfim. The directories from 1860 to 1935 have now been put online and are available at the British Columbia City Directories, at https://bccd.vpl.ca/
Access area
Opening times
Special Collections Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Access conditions and requirements
Accessibility
Services area
Research services
Reproduction services
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Created by BCANS Coordinator, June 5, 2011.
Revised by BCANS Coordinator, June 6, 2011; January 21, 2015.