The Launch of the McGill Historical Collections Web Site

Abstract

In September 2010, Professor Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and ViceChancellor of McGill University, cut the ribbon to a special McGill web site that has been several years in preparation. A simple site that allows the searcher to access almost all of McGill’s collections from one spot, it stems from an idea initially proposed in 2002 by Professor of History Brian Young to former Principal Bernard Shapiro concerning the appropriate recognition of McGill’s heritage environment. Professor Young had been taking his undergraduates to museums and archives around the city for years and was amazed at the wealth of McGill’s holdings and at how little known they were, especially at McGill. The Principal’s Heritage Advisory Committee was formed, chaired by Professor Young, and Principal Shapiro provided a grant enabling the Committee to hire a professional to produce an inventory of McGill’s collections including library collections, departmental collections, museums and nature reserves. Elizabeth Maloney, MLIS, prepared the inventory and ultimately, the web site. In the course of her work, she combed web pages, conducted interviews and searched in caches.