UBC Publications

UBC Publications

UBC Publications

Enjoy on-line access to scanned copies of newspapers and other periodicals published at the University of British Columbia. These include the Alumni Association's Alumni Chronicle, the student newspaper The Ubyssey and the University's official news publication UBC Reports. Also included are faculty/department-level periodicals, including UBC Medicine Magazine, the UBC Science Undergraduate Association's The 432, the Indian Education Newsletter (1970-1977) and  FOCUS, from the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems. Collectively, these publications comprise more than 67,000 pages that chronicle the historical evolution of the University. 

Also available are annual publications such as the UBC Calendar, the Annual/Totem student yearbook (1916-1966) as well as other published materials.


432

The 432 is a bi-weekly publication of the University of British Columbia Science Undergraduate Society (UBC SUS). First published in 1987, it carries news and information about the SUS, advertisements for upcoming events, important faculty-related announcements, humour, and commentary.

N.B. The 432 is currently on hiatus -- 11 March 2008 is the most recent issue.

AMS Student Handbooks

Student handbooks, published at the beginning of each academic year by the Alma Mater Society, first appeared around 1920. They informed students about the general operation of the University as well as the services and opportunities open to them. Collectively they provide an important insight into the changing student experience at UBC over an extended period of time.

Biblos

From volume one, number one, October 21, 1964:

The Librarian's Statement

The library is becoming a large and complex organization. Over 175 staff members maintain the main library and its three branches, the Woodward Library, the Law Library and the Curriculum Laboratory. More branches are being planned. Inevitably in such an organization people often fail to meet one another and divisions are not always aware of each others' activities. The staff newsletter BIBLOS will attempt to solve a growing problem of communication, and will carry information of both an official and non-official nature. Staff members are urged to submit to members of the editorial committee any news or announcements they wish to circulate.

Creative Giving

The Creative Giving collection documents the generosity of organizations, corporations, and individuals that has helped to fund many of UBC’s academic appointments, research projects, equipment purchases, and facilities.

Davidsonia

Davidsonia is published quarterly by the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden. It is named after Professor John Davidson, B.C.'s first Provincial Botanist, long-time instructor in UBC's Department of Botany, and founder of the UBC Botanical Garden. The journal publishes original articles, reviews, discussions, and other written works that are of interest to the botanical and botanical garden communities at large.

Initiated in 1970 by former garden director Dr. Roy L. Taylor, Davidsonia recorded over a decade of scientific activity in the Botanical Garden and the province of British Columbia. The original journal ceased publication in 1981 due to severe cutbacks in University funding to the Botanical Garden. Publication of Davidsonia was resumed in 2002.

FOCUS

Innovations (formerly known as FOCUS) is the bi-annual publication of UBC's Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS). It has a circulation of 4,000 academic and industry readers.ICICS (pronounced eye-sis) is an umbrella organization that promotes collaboration among researchers from UBC's faculties of Applied Science, Arts, Commerce, Education, Forestry, Medicine, and Science, and with industry. As an interdisciplinary research institute, it fosters a human-centred paradigm shift in emerging information technologies.

Indian Education Newsletter

The Indian Education Newsletter was published by the Indian Education Resources Center (IERC), which was established in 1970 with a mandate to improve the educational opportunities for Aboriginal students in British Columbia. Formed through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Teachers of B.C. (later the British Columbia Native Indian Teachers' Association BCNITA), the UBC Faculty of Education and the Extension Department with funding from the Department of Indian Affairs, the Center was located in a hut near the Education building and later moved to Brock Hall.

A Center Council of 15 elected Aboriginal educators guided the IERC's goals to: acquire and distribute current and accurate Aboriginal resources; sponsor courses and programs relevant to teachers of Indian students; facilitate communication between Aboriginal education groups; and promote the involvement of Aboriginal people in education decision-making.

The first issue of the Indian Education Newsletter was produced in October 1970 and it continued publication until February 1977 with a gap between 1975-1976 due to funding issues. The Newsletter included lists of resource materials distributed by the Center, conference reports, regional reports, grant information, activities of BCNITA, recommended (and not recommended) children's literature, curriculum ideas, guidance counselor and home school coordinators' reports, an initial history of the UBC Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) and other news relevant to Aboriginal education.

NOTE: The term "Indian" is now outdated and is considered by many Indigenous Peoples to be offensive. However, it is retained here as part of the title of an important historical publication.

Miscellaneous Documents

This is a collection of historical publications and other documents, most of which commemorate significant events and other highlights of the University’s history.

Presidents’ Reports

Since 1929 the President has presented a report annually to the UBC community documenting the work of the University for that year.

Report of the University Librarian to the Senate

Since 1922 the University Librarian has presented a report annually to the UBC Senate documenting the work and accomplishments of the Library for that year.

Senate Minutes

Composed of appointed and elected individuals, the University of British Columbia Senate oversees the academic governance of the University. The minutes of Senate document its deliberations at its monthly meetings.

The Graduate Chronicle/The UBC Alumni Chronicle/Trek/The University of British Columbia Magazine

 

Published since 1931 by the UBC Alumni Association, first as the The Graduate Chronicle (April 1931 - October 1948), then as The UBC Alumni Chronicle (December 1948 - September 2000), then as Trek (March 2001- March 2022) and now as The University of British Columbia Magazine (Sept 2022 - ), this publication facilitates communication amongst alumni as well as serving as an important link between the University and its former students. Originally an annual publication, in 1939 it began publishing two to three times a year, eventually becoming a quarterly magazine. With the renaming of the publication to Trek in 2001 the focus expanded to the community outside the University while maintaining existing links between UBC and its alumni.

Touchpoints

The School of Nursing's primary outreach publication,TouchPoints, is published biannually (April/October) and features leading-edge research, spotlights on faculty achievements, heartwarming stories and the latest news on innovations in nursing. It reaches alumni, donors, other schools of nursing, funding agencies, health authorities, clinical partners and UBC academic units. 

UBC Calendars

UBC History

The book Tuum Est, published in 1958, was the first comprehensive history of the University. The other three publications in this collection provide additional perspectives on the evolution of the institution.

UBC Library News

From issue number one, August, 1968:

This newsletter will appear frequently as an information service for faculty and other people outside the Library. It will contain news items about current developments in the Library System which we feel will be of interest or concern to the larger community.



UBC Library Staff Bulletin

 A bulletin for UBC Library staff covering the years 1968 - 2005.

UBC Medicine

Launched in 2004, UBC Medicine Magazine is published twice a year by the UBC Faculty of Medicine. The publication provides news and information for and about faculty members, students, staff, alumni and friends.

UBC Reports

Since 1955, UBC Reports has been UBC's official news publication -- providing information on a variety of issues of interest to faculty, staff, students and members of the general public.

UBC Theatre Programmes

This historical resource provides information pertaining to the history of theatre at UBC, lists of productions for which we have copies of programs and/or photographs, as well as associated historical resources.

UBC Yearbooks

Published annually under the auspices of the Alma Mater Society, the yearbooks document student life at the University from 1915 to 1966. Their pages document graduating classes, sports teams, student clubs and organizations, social events, governance bodies, and fraternities and sororities.

Ubyssey

The first edition of the University of British Columbia's student newspaper, The Ubyssey, appeared in Oct. 1918, only three years after the institution first opened its doors. Providing a unique student perspective on the development of the University over more than ninety years (with only one hiatus), the publication represents an invaluable source for studying the history of the institution.

The digitization of The Ubyssey has been made possible through a significant contribution from the Graduating Class 2002/03 as well as additional funding received from the President’s Office, The Ubyssey Publications Society and the UBC Library.