This weekend marks the 125th anniversary of the Siege of North Battleford. This event as traditionally has been commemorated as a siege by the Métis and Cree on the white settlers in what would eventually become Saskatchewan. A recent article in the Globe and Mail, suggests that there may be some problems with the way … Continue reading When a Siege Is Not Really a Siege.
Exploring Fort St. Joseph
A few weeks ago while my parents were visiting me, we made a trip to St. Joseph's Island. Part of this day trip included a visit to Fort St. Joseph. This site was strategically located on coastline of St. Joseph's. The fort was occupied by the British until 1812, when the fort was taken over … Continue reading Exploring Fort St. Joseph
The Internet and Our Minds
Spark recently featured a great interview with Nicolas Carr, which discuses his new book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. Carr is well known for his 2008 article "Is Google Making Us Stupid?", which examined the impact of Google, hyperlinks, and the internet in general, on how we process information.Carr's new … Continue reading The Internet and Our Minds
Government Apologies and Collective Memory
The past couple of weeks have been filled with government apologies for historical wrongs. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Air India, and Bloody Sunday Inquiry have all been prominent in the news recently.What significance do public apologies for historic wrongs have? Government apologies have the potential to remind the general public of events long past. … Continue reading Government Apologies and Collective Memory
Canadian Copyright Reform
Early this week Industry Canada Minister Tony Clement announced a 64-page bill to the House of Commons. Bill C-32 is a proposal to admen current current Canadian copyright legislation. The shortened title of the bill is "the Copyright Modernization Act." The bill attempts to address to copyright in an increasingly digital world and the full … Continue reading Canadian Copyright Reform
Historical Societies and Community Heritage
Regardless of the size of the city, town, or rural community you live in there is a good chance your community has a historical society. These societies are often comprised of passionate volunteers who care greatly about the preservation of community history. What role does your local historical society play in the preservation and interpretation … Continue reading Historical Societies and Community Heritage
Virtual Mourning Reexamined
Ages ago I wrote a post on Virtual Dark Tourism which examined the idea of virtual graveyards and the rise of on-line memorials. A Spark podcast recently brought the issue of 'virtual mourning' back to my mind. I recommend listening to the brief portion of the podcast which discusses virtual mourning and the impact which … Continue reading Virtual Mourning Reexamined
Emily Howell: A Digital Composer
A recent Spark program on CBC radio focused on David Cope and his exploration of the role of artificial intelligence in the creation of music. Cope began working on a similar program Experiments in Music Intelligence(EMI) in the 1980s. This program took existing styles of music and created music based on those styles. For example, … Continue reading Emily Howell: A Digital Composer
Relevancy and Local History
I work with local history collections on a daily basis and I am constantly surprised by the gems held by small museums and libraries. Over the past eight months some of the more interesting bits of history I have come across include: wartime ration cards, an agricultural society minute book from 1905, land allotment maps, … Continue reading Relevancy and Local History
OLA Conference: Extraordinary Canadians
As part of the Ontario Library Association's annual conference I attended the opening plenary on "Extraordinary Canadians." This panel featured John Ralston Saul, Adrienne Clarkson, Jane Urquhart, Nino Ricci, and Mark Kingwell. All five of these individuals have contributed to the Extraordinary Canadians biography series. This series examines the lives of people who have helped … Continue reading OLA Conference: Extraordinary Canadians