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Archives & Special Collections

Archives & Special Collections is a department of the Libraries and is located in Room 330 on the third floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library. Since its establishment in 1978, the Archives' mission has been to acquire, catalogue and preserve university records and special research collections which further the educational aims of the University of Manitoba, and to promote and provide wide access to them. The Archives' wide-ranging collection mandate includes the acquisition of the records of the University of Manitoba, Canadian Prairie Literary Manuscripts, the Archives of the Agricultural Experience and rare books in the areas of western Canadiana, early Arctic exploration, early Native language syllabics, spiritualism, church history and philosophy, and agriculture among others.

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: Emil and Lynette Hain fonds; The Emil and Lynette Hain fonds consists of a collection of glass slides created by Ms. Hain's grandfather, Rev. Thomas Featherstone Watson, who documented the missionary work being undertaken in the Transvaal region of South Africa prior to the onset of the Boer War in 1899. Rev. Watson created glass slides from his original negatives and used them as the basis of his lecture tour titled "Missionary Labours in the Transvaal Before the War: Glimpses of Missionary Life in the Transvaal." The scenes depicted in this digital collection include the South African people, culture and countryside, churches, church services, European and South African ministers, and other glimpses into missionary life in South Africa. The rare and fascinating images in this collection provide some insight into the controversial practice of missionary work in a little-seen region of the world just prior to the outbreak of a violent war only a few years later.

: Manitoba Eastern European Heritage Society fonds; The Manitoba Eastern European Heritage Society fonds documents the architecture, art, and history of the province’s Ukrainian Byzantine-rite churches. The project was inspired by a desire for knowledge of the architectural history as well as mutual concern for the spiritual future of Eastern European churches in Manitoba.

: Rare books collection; Rare books and various other printed or manuscript materials covering a wide variety of areas are held in Archives & Special Collections. The collection numbers approximately 30,000 volumes and is constantly expanding. Included in the collection are the Dysart Memorial Collection of Rare Books & Manuscripts, the St. John's College Rare Book Collection, and the Slavic Rare Book Collection. Further subject strengths of the Rare Book Collection are in Canadiana, particularly in Canadian Prairie literature, social history, immigration, agricultural development of western Canada, and early Arctic exploration; early native language syllabics; church history and philosophy; bibles (including the 1611 King James Bible); and English literature.