‘Calgary Herald’ Archive Brings Province’s History to Alberta Residents
ANN ARBOR, MI, and EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, July 20, 2020 – Academic, public and special libraries across Alberta have banded together to provide the province with online access to the entire archive of the Calgary Herald, the largest and oldest daily newspaper in Alberta, from 1883-2010.
Through The Alberta Library (TAL), the province-wide consortium that serves libraries in Alberta – and EdTech leader ProQuest, who provides access through its ProQuest Historical Newspapers – students, researchers and the general public have access to 127 years of coverage of news, politics, society and events.
“Archives of newspapers like the Calgary Herald provide essential perspectives on how history unfolds – perspectives not available anywhere else. It’s extraordinary that this group of libraries came together to enrich access to historical news for everyone in the province,” said Christa Foley, Licensing Librarian at TAL. “Anyone working on a family tree, writing a report, performing in-depth academic research or trying to answer a question about local, national or world history can now obtain the information they are seeking with access to this invaluable resource.”
Accessing the historical Calgary Herald archive is simple – no special authentication is required. Any Alberta resident with a computer or mobile device can access the newspaper remotely from anywhere in the province. They can explore the entire archive, starting with the first edition, printed in 1883 when the paper’s founders were operating out of a tent at the crossing of the Bow and Elbow rivers. Crisp digitization allows readers to browse page-by-page as the newspaper originally appeared or use a variety of search parameters to pinpoint exactly the content they’re looking for.
“The Calgary Herald archive captures the amazing history, culture and vibrancy of Alberta, and we’re extremely proud of our collaboration with ProQuest and libraries across the province to make this important resource available to all Albertans,” said Dr. Mary-Jo Romaniuk, Vice Provost and University Librarian at the University of Calgary. “The Calgary Herald archive complements our wide range of historical and cultural collections at the University of Calgary that have immense teaching and research value.”
“Calgary Public Library is very excited to offer the Calgary Herald online as a ready gateway for every Calgarian to find and explore the history of their city and province,” said Anne Marie Fryer, Digital Resources Manager at the Calgary Public Library. “Excellent search capabilities make this tool easily accessible to all: students, teachers, genealogists and researchers – and those simply with a curiosity and enthusiasm for Calgary’s past.”
“ProQuest is pleased to work with TAL to offer this important resource to Alberta residents. Digital resources are more important than ever with so many library users working, studying and researching from home,” said Lisa Wilson, Director of Product Management at ProQuest. “Now, they have access to a new historical newspaper to unearth the history of the province and explore their heritage.”
About The Alberta Library (www.thealbertalibrary.ca)
Internationally recognized for cooperation and collaboration, TAL is a province-wide consortium that now serves 48 member libraries in over 300 locations across the province, including public libraries, regional library systems, university libraries, college and technical institute libraries, and special libraries. Member libraries work together to take advantage of changing technologies, find creative solutions and seize new opportunities. As a result, Albertans at even the smallest library have access to more than 30 million resources.
About ProQuest (https://www.proquest.com)
ProQuest supports the important work in the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates six centuries of content – the world’s largest collection of journals, ebooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video – and builds powerful workflow solutions to help libraries acquire and grow collections that inspire extraordinary outcomes. ProQuest products and services are used in academic, K-12, public, corporate and government libraries in 150 countries.
Along with its companies and affiliates Ex Libris, Alexander Street, and Bowker, ProQuest helps its customers achieve better research, better learning and better insights. For more information, visit our ProQuest and Extraordinary Stories blogs, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.