Collections
The University Archives officially opened in 1979. At that time the Archives collection consisted of 74 linear metres of records and 231 photographs. Today the Archive collection consists of over 1,500 linear metres of records and over 15,000 photographs. In addition records in many other media including maps, prints, posters, films, tapes, and computer diskettes are kept.
University Records
The Archives collects the permanently valuable records created and collected by officers of the University in the course of their official duties.
In addition the Archives collects popular University publications. These include the student newspaper, The Carillon (and its antecedent publications); the General Calendar; Statistical Fact Books; student yearbooks; university telephone directories; newspaper clippings about the University; and faculty publications. Every attempt has been made to collect all the publications published at the institution since 1911. The public's help in forwarding university publications to University Archives and Special Collections is of vital importance in achieving as complete a collection as possible.
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| Women's Hockey Team. ca. 1925 (URA 80-2-37) |
Student records from the predecessors of the University of Regina, namely: Regina College, University of Saskatchewan Regina College, University of Saskatchewan Regina Campus, and the Regina and Moose Jaw Normal Schools are also retained. These are open only to the students themselves beyond the properly authorized use within the university.
Visual Arts
The University of Regina has a significant history of involvement in the visual arts. As early as 1916-17 Regina College hired Inglis Sheldon-Williams of London England as "Teacher of Art, Portrait and Landscape Work". A formal School of Art was established in 1936 under Gus Kenderdine. During the 1950s, under the direction of Ken Lochhead, fine arts at Regina College experienced an intense flowering. The rejuvenation of the school was followed by the construction of the Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery in 1953. Two years later, Lochhead initiated workshops for artists at Emma Lake in Northern Saskatchewan. Instructors such as New York art critic Clement Greenberg and artists Barnett Newman, Kenneth Noland, and Jules Olitski attracted international attention to the workshops. In addition, Lochhead and fellow artists and instructors, Art McKay, Ron Bloore, Ted Godwin, and Doug Morton gained recognition for themselves and for the College as the "Regina Five". In 1968 Regina Campus established a four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts program, one of the first professional art degrees in Canada. A Master of Fine Arts augmented this in 1972.
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| Class. School of Art. nd. (URA 87-15) |
Building on this strength of the University of Regina and its forerunners, the Archives seeks to document the history of the Fine Arts in Saskatchewan and in other parts of Canada. The Archives collects private papers of individual artists, institutional records of private art galleries, visual art files, and other records which may contribute to this cultural history.
Saskatchewan Literature
In 1983 our collections mandate was extended to include private papers from individuals associated with the University in topical areas such as Saskatchewan literature and journalism. These papers would support the teaching programs of the university and attract external researchers. Since then a considerable literature collection, including the papers of writers such as Anne Campbell, Ken Mitchell, and Geoffrey Ursell has developed. The business records of Coteau Books and Western Producer Prairie Books are also part of the collection.
Journalism
The journalism collection consists of the papers of several noted Canadian and Saskatchewan journalists, the Max Bell professors of the School of Journalism, as well as material relating to the James M. Minifie Memorial Lecture Series. Inaugurated in 1981, this lecture series has hosted such distinguished Canadian journalist as Knowlton Nash, Lloyd Robertson, William Stevenson and Pamela Wallin.