The University of Manitoba Libraries (UML) is the

academic library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...

system for the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. UML is made up of over a dozen libraries across two campuses—the main campus (Fort Garry) and the urban, health sciences campus (Bannatyne)—as well as one

virtual library The World Wide Web Virtual Library (WWW VL) was the first index of content on the World Wide Web and still operates as a directory of e-texts and information sources on the web. Overview The Virtual Library was started by Tim Berners-Lee creato ...

, the

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA; , ORSW) is the governing body for healthcare regulation for the City of Winnipeg, the northern community of Churchill, and the Rural Municipalities of East and West St. Paul, in the Canadian provinc ...

Virtual Library. It is also a member of the

U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities U15 Canada (U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, ; commonly shortened to U15 Canada) is an association of 15 Canadian public research universities. It is headquartered in Ottawa and was established in 1991 to represent its members' interes ...

. The largest library of the university is the Elizabeth Dafoe Library. UML is located in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, on

Treaty 1 ''Treaty 1'' (also known as the "Stone Fort Treaty") is an agreement established on August 3, 1871, between the Crown and the Anishinaabe and Swampy Cree, Canadian based First Nations. The first of a series of treaties called the Numbered Treatie ...

territory, the land of the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

Oji-Cree The Anisininew or Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west. The Oji-Cree pe ...

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

, and

Dene The Dene people () are an Indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal, subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages and it is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term ...

Peoples, and on the homeland of the

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

Nation.

History

In 1885, the University of Manitoba acquired nearly 5,000 books from Alexander Kennedy Isbister, who died in 1883, gifted his books to the university in his last

will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...

. This body of records, along with approximately $600 of scientific books, made up the bulk of the university's library. At the time, the University of Manitoba rented space to house the books in the McIntyre Block in Winnipeg's

Exchange District The Exchange District is a National Historic Site of Canada in the downtown area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Just one block north of Portage and Main, the Exchange District comprises twenty city blocks and approximately 150 heritage buildin ...

, as the university did not have a library to house the books, or a librarian to look after them. Unfortunately, in 1898, the entirety of the library was lost in a fire that destroyed the McIntyre Block. In 1904, the first official library was established at the University of Manitoba in the Faculty of Science. During this time, the Faculty of Science's Professor Frank Allen was appointed the honorary librarian and a new collection of books was accumulated through various sources, including the

Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

, the British and Canadian governments, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

, as well as through internal sources, including professors and university associations (like the University of Manitoba Menorah Society). Shortly after, Professor Allen hired an assistance, Florence Davy Thompson was appointed, and an annual sum of money was set aside by the University Council for books and journals. In 1907, Thompson became the first librarian of the university. In 1915, following Thompson's death, Alexandra Law took over the position for a six-month period. Following her term, Mr. Lowe, of the Botany Department, took over the position in the interim, until Franke E. Nuttal was hired in the fall of 1916. At this time, the library held approximately 16,000 volumes, spread across multiple offices and departments. St. Paul's College affiliated with the University of Manitoba in 1931, and four years later, the St. Paul's College Free Lending and Reading Library officially began as an aid to the students of the college. In 1935, towards the end of Nuttal's role as University Librarian, a

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

grant allowed for the creation of a junior library in the university's administration building. At that time, the university had two campuses—Fort Garry and

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—and its library holdings were spread out across multiple buildings at either campus. In 1937, Julie Annette Elizabeth Dafoe (daughter of John W. Dafoe) became Head Librarian of the University of Manitoba, holding the position until 1960. In 1940, the founder of St. Paul's College, Most Reverend Archbishop Sinnott, officiated the formal opening of the library to the public. (The library at this point contained 2000 holdings.) By 1946, the college formally established its own Library Guild, the principle mandate of which was to raise funds for more acquisitions and to increase the number of library patrons. In the early 1950s, these libraries were collectively staffed by 22 people and held approximately 150,000 volumes and acquired on average 6,000 volumes per year. Study spaces were increasingly difficult to find, particularly during exam time when "standing room only was the rule in the libraries." To support the growing needs of the university, and in celebration of the university's 75th anniversary in 1952, a new central library on the Fort Garry campus was constructed. Dafoe, still the head librarian at this time, helped plan for the development of the new library, which would open in 1953 baring her name: Elizabeth Dafoe Library. The library acquired its 1-millionth volume in 1976; and in 1997, it would acquire its 2-millionth book: ''Voyages and Travels of an Indian Interpreter and Trader'', authored by John Long. In 1958, with its 20,000 books, St. Paul's College moved to the University of Manitoba campus. The following year, Father Harold Drake became head librarian, holding the position until 1992, when he retired. A year later, in 1993, the library was named in his honour and remains the current name of the St. Paul's library.

Libraries

Today, the University of Manitoba Libraries include over a dozen libraries serving its various faculties and departments.

Services

UML supports research across the university by providing various services, including access to reference services, service desks, self-serve kiosks, media spaces, individual or group study spaces, and workshops. The Libraries further provide access to books, journals, articles, newspapers, government publications, online databases, e-journals, theses and dissertations, etc. University students, staff, and alumni have access to the Libraries services. Members of the general public can obtain borrowing privileges by purchasing a citizen borrower's card. Services include: * Data Management — UML assists researchers in organizing their data and ensuring it remains accessible over time by providing

data management Data management comprises all disciplines related to handling data as a valuable resource, it is the practice of managing an organization's data so it can be analyzed for decision making. Concept The concept of data management emerged alongsi ...

consultations. * Digitization — Scanners throughout the Libraries can be used free of charge by students and staff for self-serve digitization. The Libraries' Research Services and Digital Strategies unit also offers fee-based digitization services for students, staff, and the general public. * MSpace — MSpace is an institutional repository which stores faculty and student publications, including theses, dissertations, working papers, reports, etc. * Subject Help — UML subject guides provide useful resources related to specific subjects, fields and disciplines, including related sources, databases, and research tips. Subject guides further provide students with the opportunity to contact and/or meet with specific Librarians specializing in those subjects. * Workshops — UML offers GradSteps workshops to assist graduate students in various ways. Workshops cover topics such as data collection and analysis, communication skills, grant writing, financial planning, networking, research ethics, citing, reference management, using library resources,

GIS A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database; however, this is not ...

and data visualization.

Collections

UM Digital Collections

In 2013, the University of Manitoba Libraries launched their UM Digital Collections website.UM Digital Collections
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digital asset management Digital asset management (DAM) and the implementation of its use as a computer application is required in the collection of digital assets to ensure that the owner, and possibly their delegates, can perform operations on the data files. Termino ...

system provides access to over 75,000 rare books, newspapers, photographs, audio-visual content, and other textual records. The platform allows users to browse and search content, and download content in multiple access and preservation formats. Digital collections include a full run of the ''

Winnipeg Tribune ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890, to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old ' ...

'' Newspaper, the University of Manitoba Brown and Gold Year Books, séance photos by

Thomas Glendenning Hamilton Thomas Glendenning Hamilton (November 27, 1873 – April 7, 1935) was a Canadian doctor, school board trustee, and member of the Manitoba legislature from 1915 to 1920. He was also a spiritualist and is best known for the thousands of photogr ...

, and the records of the Manitoba Gay & Lesbian Archives.

References