Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T experts solve mystery of century-old flower mailed by First World War soldier

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:48:39 +0000

U of T experts solve mystery of century-old flower mailed by First World War soldier

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 11/08/2024 - 10:48

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The letter and flower, mailed by Harold Wrong to his brother in 1916, were donated to the University of Toronto Archives in the 1960s (courtesy U of T Libraries)

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U of T Archives

First World War

Remembrance Day

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

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The flower was pressed inside a letter sent by U of T graduate Harold Wrong a day before the Battle of the Somme

Harold Wrong was a First World War soldier who sent one last letter to his brother Murray on June 30, 1916. It contained a single pressed flower and one line: "All well with me."

The next day marked the Battle of the Somme and Wrong, who had graduated from University College just three years earlier, was never seen alive again.

The letter and flower were donated to the University of Toronto Archives and the identity of the flower has been a mystery – until now.

Using new and emerging technologies and working with botanists and scholars beyond the university, U of T librarians, archivists and researchers from U of T Mississauga’s Old Books, New Science lab have solved the mystery of the 108-year-old Somme flower.

“In academia, we’re always curious and we always want to know things,” says Loryl MacDonald, associate chief librarian for special collections and director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. “And to think that a pressed flower like that is 108 years old and survived that long! The fact that the family had preserved the flower for so long is very touching.”

To those who ask why the type of flower matters, Jessica Lockhart, head of research at the Old Books New Science lab says, “Well, if you know the flower, you know more about Harold. You understand why he found it beautiful and why he wanted to share it.

“And that’s an important detail that tells us so much more about his final message.”

Read the complete story of the Somme Flower at U of T Libraries

Learn long and prosper: U of T’s Fisher Library becomes ‘eternal archive’ on Star Trek: Discovery

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 17 May 2024 20:51:35 +0000

Learn long and prosper: U of T’s Fisher Library becomes ‘eternal archive’ on Star Trek: Discovery

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 05/17/2024 - 16:51

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Hy'Rell (Elena Juatco) leads Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Book (David Ajala) through the Eternal Archive and Gallery in an episode of Star Trek: Discovery that was filmed in U of T's Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (photo by Marni Grossman/Paramount+)

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Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

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The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library was chosen as a filming location for the latest episode of the sci-fi series because of its unique architecture and "commitment to preservation and the pursuit of knowledge"

The team behind Star Trek: Discovery didn’t have to venture too far into the final frontier to find the perfect venue for a boundless library containing all the knowledge of the universe.

The University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library stars as a complete repository of cosmic wisdom in the latest episode of the sci-fi series, titled “Labyrinths,” which premiered this week and is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library (photo by U of T Communications)

With its tiered stacks of timeless tomes, the Fisher library – a brutalist architectural marvel – serves as more than a retro-futuristic TV setting, says Michael Cassabon, director of advancement at U of T Libraries.

“I think the university is trying to imagine an ideal future and bring it into the present … whether it’s working on inclusion, diversity and equity, or science and exploration,” he says.

“The Star Trek future represents a lot of what we’re trying to materialize.”

A self-proclaimed “Trekkie,” Cassabon says he had to set his fandom aside when reviewing the request to bring the USS Discovery to Fisher Library, which holds about 800,000 volumes and 5,000 linear metres of manuscripts.

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery (photo by Marni Grossman/Paramount+)

The Toronto-based production has previously filmed at various U of T locations. However, camera crews rarely gain access to Fisher Library’s valuable stacks and a shoot of this scale was unprecedented, Cassabon says.

The deciding factor? The pivotal role Fisher Library would play in the run-up to the series finale, offering the galaxy a glimpse of the rich trove of knowledge preserved within its walls.

“It was exciting that Fisher Library wouldn’t just be a backdrop,” Cassabon says. “It was like the library itself was a character – a very important character – in the story.

“The Fisher Library is a national treasure, and we thought this was a really good way of making it known to a lot of folks out there.”

The fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery sends the crew on an interstellar scavenger hunt to uncover a hidden ancient power. The final clue lies in the “eternal archive,” an infinite library safeguarding the secrets of the universe.

As soon as Star Trek: Discovery location manager Melissa Warry-Smith read the site description, she says only one place came to mind.

“Not only does [Fisher Library] look like it is from the future and could in fact have been plucked directly from the Star Trek universe, but the library’s commitment to preservation and the pursuit of knowledge is intrinsic to the core values of Star Trek,” Warry-Smith says.

Larry Alford, right, university chief librarian, observes filming from a director's chair (photo by Michael Cassabon)

“The library is a stunning example of what we can achieve when we care deeply about preserving and sharing knowledge, and commit to coming together to use that knowledge for a shared vision of a better future for all – and what could be more Star Trek than that?”

This respect for the preservation of knowledge shaped the production team’s approach to shooting the scenes, says Cassabon.

Filming took place overnight to minimize disruption to readers and researchers. The crew worked with Fisher’s librarians and archivists to implement strict protocols to protect its precious collections, including using heat-free lighting to prevent damage to delicate materials.

Cassabon and Larry Alford, university chief librarian at U of T Libraries, were on set for part of the shoot.

For Cassabon, meeting the show’s cast and crew was a fanboy moment.

“It was super surreal for me,” he says. “These are my childhood heroes.”

Filming took place overnight to minimize disruption to readers and researchers`(photo by Marni Grossman/Paramount+)

Cassabon adds that many researchers, professors and students have drawn inspiration from Star Trek as they look to tackle some of the greatest challenges in the world – and beyond.

Many of the show’s themes are reflected on campus, he says.

For example, the episode’s search through the “eternal archive” echoes the work of a U of T-led international research collaboration that’s using new techniques to unearth long-hidden stories lurking within Fisher Library and other collections, Cassabon says. And he notes that Star Trek has a nearly six-decade history of breaking new TV ground when it comes diverse representation and inclusivity – another one of the university’s core values.

“So much of Star Trek is imaging a world where … the things that label and divide us have faded away,” Cassabon says. “The university is all about trying to create a more inclusive and just world. It’s all about working together in harmony toward progress.”

Both U of T and Fisher Library are credited in “Labyrinths,” which is dedicated to “librarians everywhere, dedicated to the preservation of artifacts, knowledge, and truth.”

Robarts Library at 50: How Fort Book became the ‘campus living room’

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:58:01 +0000

Robarts Library at 50: How Fort Book became the ‘campus living room’

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 09/26/2023 - 09:58

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As many as 18,000 people visit U of T’s Robarts Libary in a single day, while countless more access its collection online (photo by U of T Communications)

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Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

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As it celebrates its half-centennial, Robarts Library is reflecting on its past – and looking towards its future – with an exhibit that traces the library’s history

The University of Toronto’s campus weekly, The Varsity, greeted students with a front-page photograph of John P. Robarts Library in 1973 – then a new, impossible-to-miss concrete giant on St. George Street.

“Welcome to U of T and Fort Book,” the headline shouted.

Cover of The Varsity newspaper from September 12, 1973 (University of Toronto Archives)

Now, as it celebrates its half-centennial, Robarts is reflecting on its past – and looking towards its future – with an exhibit that traces the library’s history, including the architecture, technology and social movements that shaped its evolution.

Originally built to house 2.7 million volumes and accommodate 4,100 people in reading rooms and study carrels, Robarts aimed to be the largest academic library building in the world, intended to make room for U of T’s growing library collection and the influx of students born during the Baby Boom.

Then-U of T President Claude Bissell, who played a central role in its construction, called it “the final, climactic stage in the development of the higher learning at the University of Toronto.”

The triangular library complex included the School of Library Science and what is now the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The building’s namesake, Premier John Robarts, said the buildings – which came with a $41.7-million price tag – should not be judged based on cost, “but in terms of how many people would pass through them over the next fifty years.”

These days, as many as 18,000 people visit Robarts in a single day, while countless more access its collection online. The index card catalogue and coat check for visitors are long gone, but Robarts is now home to spaces for nursing, meditation, and mindfulness – even a family study room designed for parents and children, the first space of its kind in a Canadian academic library. Although the U of T Libraries collection contains more than 11 million physical items in total, it now mainly acquires electronic material and hosts data centres with a storage capacity of 1.5 petabytes.

Yet, while the library’s layout and technology have changed, its role remains the same: to support research, discovery and community, Chief Librarian Larry Alford said. “When Robarts Library opened, it was very much seen as a place for students – and faculty, but especially students – to come together to study and work together,” he said. “That hasn’t changed at all. I think it’s as important now as it was in 1973.”

Robarts Common (photo by Matthew Volpe)

To create much-needed study space, the library recently underwent its first expansion in 42 years with the addition of a free-standing, five-storey building on its west side. The project was made possible through the generous support of the late Russell and Katherine Morrison, along with one thousand other donors. Robarts Common came equipped with 1,200 new study spots – a 25 per cent increase – including soundproofed rooms with big-screen TVs for group study.

A group of students on the second floor of Robarts Common (photo by Hanna Borodina)

In the realm of technology, Robarts Library has long been a centre for innovation. Under the leadership of Robert Blackburn, chief librarian from 1954 to 1981, U of T Libraries became an early adopter of an automated catalogue. And while it was not the first institution to have a computer-output microfilm catalogue, Blackburn said Robarts was the first large research library anywhere that had converted its entire catalogue. “Our pioneering in the field was not unnoticed or unappreciated,” he wrote in Evolution of the Heart, a history of U of T Libraries.

The first online catalogue, “Felix,” came into service in 1987.

Today, Robarts Library supports digital scholarship including in the field of non-destructive analysis of ancient books by examining the physical properties of ancient volumes using techniques such as atomic force spectrometry.

Jesse Carliner, a user services librarian and co-curator of the Robarts Library exhibit with university archivist Tys Klumpenhouwer, said technology was not the only important driver of change at the library – so, too, was the U of T community.

Student sit-in protesting stack access to Robarts Library (photo by Robert Lansdale)

“The library has evolved from being this very formal, book centre to being more of a socially oriented student centre,” Carliner said. “It went from being an imposing concrete monolith to kind of the campus living room.”

While initially only faculty and graduate students were supposed to be granted access to the bookstacks, undergraduate students staged protests to open the stacks to everyone – and the library has continued to reshape itself over the years, hosting 2SLGBTQ+ events and adding prayer rooms and an ablution room for Muslim students. Just last summer, Fisher Library hosted Raymond Frogner, head of the archives at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, for a talk about confronting historic biases and promoting Indigenous knowledge within library collections.

What has remained constant, however, is the lively debate surrounding the library’s imposing concrete exterior.

The Brutalist landmark divided opinion from the start, with architect Ronald Thom saying it “represents everything in architecture that is arrogant and wrong.” It has been compared to everything from a “giant chess piece” to a “sci-fi version of a medieval castle.” But for the building’s many critics, there seems to be an equal number of admirers. Italian author Umberto Eco described it as a “masterpiece of contemporary architecture” and, more recently, Robarts topped Monocle’s list of architectural must-sees in its Toronto travel guide.

Larry Alford (photo by Paul Terefenko)

Chief Librarian Alford said he understands why the building’s architecture is controversial, but has always been a fan. “If you look inside the building, as I’ve often done, you stand on the second floor and look up, you can’t help but be impressed and it becomes clear that the architects paid a lot of attention to every detail,” he said.

As for what the library will look like 50 years from now, Alford said it’s impossible to predict – though he imagines it will play an increasingly important role in AI-assisted analysis and authentication of information.

“If you think about the radical changes over the last five decades, I don’t think any librarians could have said where we were headed.”

This story has been condensed. The original can be found here.

Portugal’s president commemorates 75 years of Portuguese language program at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:13:31 +0000

Portugal’s president commemorates 75 years of Portuguese language program at U of T

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/21/2023 - 09:13

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Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa signs the University of Toronto Distinguished Visitors Book at Simcoe Hall (photo by Johnny Guatto)

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Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

The University of Toronto welcomed Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the St. George campus last week to commemorate 75 years of the Spanish and Portuguese language program in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Rebelo de Sousa’s visit was part of a five-day trip to Canada that coincided with the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the first significant wave of Portuguese immigrants to the country.

Addressing U of T students and professors, as well as high school students and teachers, Rebelo de Sousa said “it’s an honour to me, my country and my people” to visit the university and acknowledged U of T’s early commitment to Portuguese language scholarship.

“That’s something I would call perspective,” he said. “We are very grateful for it.”

U of T President Meric Gertler welcomed the president, his delegation and attendees and said that U of T is honoured to play a part in expanding the ties between Canada and Portugal.

“The Portuguese community has deep roots here with business, cultural and community organizations contributing to Toronto’s rich cultural landscape,” he said, noting that Portuguese is fifth-most prevalent language spoken in Toronto, excluding English and French.

Rebelo de Sousa, for his part, highlighted the significance of Portuguese as a language of business, science, culture, and education.

“For all those who don’t speak Portuguese, learning the Portuguese language is now more than an exercise in intellectual curiosity,” he said. “It’s a safe investment in personal and professional development.”

The Portuguese delegation – which included senior government leaders and António Leão Rocha, Ambassador of Portugal to Canada – were welcomed by President Gertler, Anna Kennedy, chair of Governing Council, Professor Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, Professor Ana T. Pérez-Leroux, chair of the department of Spanish and Portuguese, and other U of T senior leaders.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa views items from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library ’s Portuguese collection as U of T President Meric Gertler looks on (photo by Johnny Guatto)

During the event, two students from the Faculty of Music performed Portuguese folk songs and Pérez-Leroux moderated a question-and-answer session with students in the audience. There was a signing of memoranda supporting a continued agreement between the Camões Institute and the department of Spanish and Portuguese at U of T.

“U of T is fortunate to play a vital role in promoting and preserving the Portuguese language,” Woodin said.

“The Faculty of Arts and Science is proud to be home to the department of Spanish and Portuguese – a place where students can explore these major languages and literatures and appreciate the influential societal, artistic and intellectual history of Ibero-America.”

Toward the end of the event, President Gertler accompanied Rebelo de Sousa to the boardroom to view artifacts from the Portuguese collection at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. They included: a first edition of a selection of shipwreck narratives called Historia tragico-maritima that was originally published as news flyers and sold in the streets of Lisbon; a collection of poems or romances by Bernarda Ferreira de Lacerda, one of the earliest women writers in Portuguese; and two works of poetry by António Botto and Judith Teixeira that are now considered key publications in Portugal’s LGBTQ history.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa shakes hands with a student (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Luis Antunes, a computer engineering student in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and president of the University of Toronto Portuguese Student Association (UTPA), said that as a recent immigrant to Canada, he noticed that not many young Portuguese people speak Portuguese.

“I moved here two years ago, and I think it’s very important for us to maintain our cultural heritage and for future generations to still speak Portuguese,” said Antunes, adding that he admires the president’s professional career as a former law professor, journalist and political commentator.

“I’ve had family members who were his students when he was a professor. It was an honour to be able to meet him and share this moment with the rest of the UTPA members.”

'A medieval blockbuster': U of T acquires a rare 14th-century manuscript

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 15:22:25 +0000

'A medieval blockbuster': U of T acquires a rare 14th-century manuscript

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 09/18/2023 - 11:22

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Sebastian Sobecki stands over The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, which scholars believe was written in the mid-1300s (all photos by Diana Tyszko)

Sean McNeely

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Centre for Medieval Studies

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

The University of Toronto has acquired an ancient manuscript widely regarded as one of “medieval Europe’s biggest bestsellers.”

Led by the efforts of Sebastian Sobecki, a partial copy of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville that scholars believed was penned in the mid-1300s is now part of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library’s collection.

“This is one of the texts that made explorers believe in circumnavigation,” says Sobecki, a professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s department of English who cross-appointed to the Centre for Medieval Studies.

To secure the ancient manuscript, Sobecki collaborated with the Fisher Library as well as the University Library.

“This is big news for the university – I'm thrilled,” says Sobecki. “This is probably one of our most important medieval manuscripts and it could be a crown jewel of the Fisher collection.”

Written on animal skin, Mandeville’s Travels is considered one of medieval Europe’s biggest bestsellers.

“It’s quite likely that this is the earliest surviving copy of what was one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages,” says Tim Perry, a medieval manuscripts and early books librarian at the Fisher Library.

The manuscript was purchased from Bernard Quaritch Ltd – a London-based bookseller that specializes in rare books and manuscripts. Previously, it was owned by the Duke of Manchester’s family in the United Kingdom.

Written in insular French (or Anglo-French), the manuscript consists of 40 leaves – or 80 pages – and includes a substantial fragment of Mandeville’s Travels (chapters 11-12, 13-16 and 23-31). Each leaf measures approximately 27.5 by 18.5 centimetres.

The writing is on specially prepared animal skin – likely sheep or calf skin – rather than paper.

The book purports to be the travel memoir of Mandeville, though it’s more accurately described as fiction. He claims to have travelled through Turkey, Persia, Syria, Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, India and China in the 1320s or '30s.

It’s filled with tales of exotic beasts, treasures beyond imagination, as well as magical kingdoms with mythical people such as dog-headed humans and other strange creatures – all hallmarks of today's science fiction – and the book is considered by some to be one of the first widespread tales in the genre.

And the Travels goes beyond simply writing about destinations, delving into subjects such as religion and politics. For example, while trekking through Egypt, Mandeville engages in a lengthy conversation with the sultan of Egypt.

“They exchange ideas about the Qur’an and the Bible,” says Sobecki. “And they discuss differences of belief between Muslims and Christians. It's really quite open-minded.

“But it's not a religious text. This is a secular adventure text about [fictional] monsters of the East and what Asia looks like. This is one of the great global travel writing texts and it's remarkable for its tolerance and openness.”

Part of that adventure includes visiting the enchanted kingdom of Prester John, a legendary Christian patriarch and king who ruled over a large Christian settlement in India.

Mandeville describes the kingdom as having unmatched wealth with an abundance of precious stones, including an entire river composed of gemstones instead of water, which flows down from enormous mountains, and yields especially sweet-tasting fish.

Tim Perry is a medieval manuscript sand early books librarian at the Fisher Library.

Where did the author get his material for this book? From combining several authentic travel accounts from a variety of sources and adding his own flair.

“There's quite a lot of material from the 13th-century Franciscan missions to the Mongols,” says Sobecki. “They brought back fantastic reports about the peoples of Central Asia. Some of them are accurate, some are laced with fiction and science fiction.”

So who, exactly, was Sir John Mandeville?

“That’s a good question. We don't know that,” says Sobecki, noting that it is the subject of scholarly debate. “John Mandeville was probably a fictional name, one of the earliest pen names.”

Whoever the author is, it’s generally accepted that he didn’t do much travelling himself. However, he was a master at taking other people’s accounts and creating a new narrative.

“Someone said, very accurately, that his longest journey was to the nearest library,” says Sobecki. “So he was probably the world's greatest armchair traveller.”

Some scholars have suggested that the Travels was written by Jan de Langhe, a Flemish monk pretending to be an Englishman. He was known to be a prolific writer and avid collector of travel memoirs right up to his death in 1383.

What also makes this manuscript so important is that it’s far more than just a prize – it’s a valuable tool for research and teaching.

“This is a book for readers, for real use,” says Sobecki. “We're trying to work out where in the family tree of Mandeville manuscripts this text belongs. And for teaching purposes this text would be enormously helpful because Mandeville is a canonical English writer and is taught every year, not only in my course, but in several others across U of T. This manuscript also presents many teaching opportunities for undergraduate, master’s and PhD students: comparing later Middle English translations to the original Anglo-French text.”

As well, this text can shed light on many other facets of historical literature and publishing.

“Once we know where this manuscript fits, maybe we can locate the particular dialect where the writing came from,” says Sobecki. “We can also understand more about how these early medieval manuscripts of Mandeville’s Travels were circulated in England.”

Sobecki adds that he can’t wait to dive into Mandeville’s pages and see what secrets can be unlocked.

“This text has really inspired people,” he says. “This is the text that really made me fall in love with medieval travel writing. I've worked with thousands of manuscripts, but every time you're in the presence of something that was written 700 years ago by hand, it’s just amazing.”

Margaret Atwood reveals she’s writing a memoir: NBC’s Today

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:20:26 +0000

Margaret Atwood reveals she’s writing a memoir: NBC’s Today

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 03/08/2023 - 11:20

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(image courtesy of David Fernandez, Fisher Library)

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Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

Victoria College

Her bibliography includes more than 50 titles spanning fiction, poetry and essays, but author Margaret Atwood says she’s tackling new terrain in her next book: her own story.

Atwood revealed on the NBC’s Today show that she’s working on a memoir – a project she’d previously denied any interest in tackling.

“That’s the kind of thing you say in your youth,” Atwood, 83, told host Jenna Bush Hager during an interview shot inside the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. “You say that when you’re maybe 70.”

Atwood – who completed her bachelor’s degree at Victoria College and was a U of T writer-in-residence in 1972 – talked about her latest collection of short stories, Old Babes in the Wood, and leafed through selections from her extensive archives housed at Fisher, which may serve as a useful resource as Atwood turns her pen on herself. “You can’t just make stuff up,” she says.

Back in the studio, Bush Hager told her Today co-hosts she was excited to spend time with Atwood at her alma mater. “U of T was where Margaret did her undergrad, so it was very cool to be back there with her,” Bush Hager said, thanking Thomas Fisher for hosting the interview. “They very rarely let people film there, but of course, when the queen of Canadian literature comes, they roll out the red carpet.”

Watch the Today Interview

U of T to confer honorary degrees on 14 academic, business and community leaders

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 15:42:32 +0000

U of T to confer honorary degrees on 14 academic, business and community leaders

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 02/16/2023 - 10:42

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All photos supplied except for Beverly Glenn-Copeland (by Briana Boyd), James and Louise Temerty (by George Pimentel) and Sara Seager (by Justin Knight).

Mariam Matti

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Convocation 2023

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Alumni

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

A leading stem cell scientist and biotech entrepreneur. An influential couple whose philanthropy champions health care, education and community-building. A former head of state who prioritized gender equality and sustainability in her public service career. An inspirational business leader who is breaking down systemic barriers facing Black entrepreneurs. And an internationally acclaimed filmmaker whose work has put anti-colonial resistance and Indigenous persistence in the spotlight.

These six luminaries – Derrick Rossi, co-founder of Moderna, philanthropists James and Louise Temerty, former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark, business leader Wesley Hall and filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin – are among the 14 eminent individuals who will receive honorary degrees from the University of Toronto this year and will address graduating students at convocation ceremonies in spring or fall.

“Through their outstanding contributions to their respective fields and beyond, these exceptional individuals have each made a tremendous impact on the world,” said U of T President Meric Gertler.

“Their innovation, vision and generosity are an inspiration to all members of the U of T community – and I’m delighted that we will have an opportunity to honour their achievements at our convocation ceremonies this year.”

Here is the full list of honorary degree recipients for 2023.

David F. Andrews, professor emeritus and a U of T alumnus, is recognized for his innovative, foundational and transformative contributions to the field of statistical sciences and for his service to the public good. A chair of the department of statistics (now statistical sciences) at U of T for eight years, Andrews helped bring statistical knowledge to research work at the university and aided media commentators tasked with predicting the results of more than 100 Canadian elections.

Helen Clark is recognized for her ongoing, globally impactful commitment to a just, thriving, equitable and sustainable world. As prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, Clark led societal change and broke down barriers. She also served eight years as administrator of the UN Development Programme and has held other leadership roles with global organizations.

David F. Denison, a U of T alumnus, is recognized as a corporate leader in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, and for his outstanding service to the university. A former CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Denison has contributed to Canada’s global reputation for having an innovative and effective retirement income system. He also improved the performance of U of T’s endowment and pension funds (now part of University Pension Plan of Ontario) as co-chair of the university’s investment committee.

Beverly Glenn-Copeland is internationally recognized for his innovative and influential musicianship and sterling artistic reputation. Throughout his 50-year recording career, Glenn-Copeland has received national and international acclaim as a singer and composer. A Black trans artist, he is a strong advocate on behalf of Black and LGBTQ2S+ communities in Canada and abroad, and has influenced new generations of artists.

Wesley Hall is recognized for his innovative corporate and entrepreneurial leadership, and for his outstanding service to the local community as a champion for equity and the removal of systemic barriers affecting the Black community. When he was 34, Hall founded Kingsdale Advisors – a leading shareholder advisory firm with offices across North America. He also founded the BlackNorth Initiative following George Floyd’s death in 2020 and partnered with U of T’s Rotman School of Management in 2021 to introduce Canada’s first Black entrepreneurship and leadership course.

Robert Houle is recognized for being an internationally celebrated Indigenous artist and curator known for his revisioning of the history of abstraction and representation through an Indigenous lens. A residential school survivor, Houle – who grew up in Sandy Bay First Nation – has been instrumental in bridging the gap between Indigenous art and the contemporary art scene. His art and advocacy have played a pivotal role in working to change the history and representation of Indigenous Peoples.

Barbara Jackman, a U of T alumna, is recognized for her transformative impact on Canadian immigration and refugee law, and her outstanding service for the public good as an unyielding advocate for social justice and human rights. One of Canada’s foremost immigration and refugee lawyers, Jackman has shaped Canadian legal practices related to migration and worked tirelessly to protect the human rights of non-citizens. She also played an instrumental role in the Student Legal Aid Society at U of T’s Faculty of Law.

Claire Kennedy, a U of T alumna, is recognized as one of Canada’s leading tax lawyers and for her outstanding service to the university as a tireless advocate and volunteer. A senior adviser of clients and industries at Bennett Jones LLP, Kennedy served on U of T’s Governing Council for nine years, including four as chair. She is a co-chair of U of T’s Defy Gravity campaign who has also served as a member of the dean’s advisory committee at the Rotman School of Management and held several advisory roles in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

Alanis Obomsawin, one of the most acclaimed Indigenous directors in the world, is recognized for being an internationally renowned, multi-disciplinary artist dedicated to the cultivation of exemplary documentary film practice grounded in both social justice and artistic achievement. Over the course of a six-decade career, she has created 54 films with the National Film Board of Canada. A member of the Abenaki Nation, Obomsawin is a dedicated mentor to new generations of Indigenous artists and activists.

Derrick Rossi, a U of T alumnus, is recognized for his groundbreaking scientific research that has been translated into therapeutics with global impact, and for his outstanding service for the public good through his extraordinary contributions to global public health and biotechnology innovation. A co-founder of biotech firm Moderna and the CEO of Convelo Therapeutics, Rossi has contributed to the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines through his research. He is heavily involved in the U of T community through speaking events and mentorship.

Sara Seager, a U of T alumna, is recognized as an internationally renowned leader in astrophysics and planetary science, and as a pioneer of the field of exoplanet atmospheres. A professor of physics at MIT, Seager leads multiple international collaborations dedicated to finding signs of life on other planets and actively works on building confidence among young people, women and those who are neurodivergent.

James and Louise Temerty are recognized for their dedication to bettering the lives of others through a sustained, thoughtful and generous commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism, and for their outstanding service to the university. Their donation to U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, which was renamed in their honour, remains the largest single monetary gift in Canadian philanthropic history. They have also supported countless important causes at U of T, including COVID-19 research, the Scholars-at-Risk program and students from Ukraine whose studies were disrupted by war.

Michael Walsh is recognized for his commitment to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, his transformative gift of the Walsh Philosophy Collection, and his outstanding service for the public good by ensuring that the collection remains an accessible resource for scholarship. His donation of rare books and early prints from before 1500 contributed to the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library’s status as one of the leading rare book libraries in the world.

‘That object has a story’: Alexandra Gillespie on CBC’s Metro Morning

lanthierj — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:37:23 +0000

‘That object has a story’: Alexandra Gillespie on CBC’s Metro Morning

lanthierj Fri, 12/09/2022 - 15:37

Cutline

Professor Alexandra Gillespie heads the Old Books New Science Lab at University of Toronto Mississauga (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Research and Innovation

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

U of T Mississauga

At first glance, the dusty and worn pages of an old book from centuries ago might not seem to reveal more than their written content. But a closer look unlocks a treasure trove of knowledge, Professor Alexandra Gillespie told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Dec. 8.

Hidden Stories: New Approaches to the Local and Global History of the Book is the latest in a series of projects co-ordinated by the research team at the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Old Books New Science Lab, led by Gillespie, who is also a U of T vice-president and the principal of U of T Mississauga. It aims to explore the systems, peoples and cultures that make a book, including its physical and biological properties that reveal new knowledge.

“When you love books, you don’t only love the thing that you’re reading, you also love the object that’s in your hands, and that object has a story to tell,” Gillespie told host Ismaila Alfa. “We’re also really interested in the books whose stories haven’t been told…The story of media is not a straight line from Gutenberg to Zuckerburg. On the contrary, it’s a rich line with many forking paths that takes in all parts of the world.”

The Hidden Stories project examines manuscripts in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and across the world including China, Ethiopia, east Africa, North America, Tunisia and Nepal.

Listen to the CBC Radio interview

Hidden Stories Project: U of T researchers lead international collaboration on centuries-old books

lanthierj — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 20:14:13 +0000

Hidden Stories Project: U of T researchers lead international collaboration on centuries-old books

lanthierj Tue, 12/06/2022 - 15:14

Cutline

Researchers analyze a manuscript as part of the The Book and Silk Roads project. UTM Old Books New Science Lab is co-ordinating a follow-up project, Hidden Stories, which has received funding from the Mellon Foundation. (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Research and Innovation

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

U of T Mississauga

At first glance, the dusty and worn pages of an old book from centuries ago might not reveal more than their written content. But a closer look unlocks a treasure trove of knowledge.

It’s those obscured treasures – hidden stories – that University of Toronto researchers want to uncover.

U of T is launching a collaborative and interdisciplinary project entitled Hidden Stories: New Approaches to the Local and Global History of the Book, funded by the Mellon Foundation. The Mellon Foundation has given a $2.69 million grant for the next four years to support the project, which involves a collaboration with 130 researchers – humanists, scientists, librarians, curators, conservators and others – at U of T and from 60 institutions across the world.

It’s the latest in a series of projects in global book history co-ordinated by the research team at UTM’s Old Books New Science Lab.

“I became really interested in the way that there were stories about books that could be told that were not only about the texts that are in them,” says U of T Vice-President and U of T Mississauga Principal Alexandra Gillespie, who leads the Old Books New Science Lab.

“That’s this ‘hidden stories’ idea, that there are stories about the makers of books, the users of books, that leave all kinds of traces that are non-textual.”

The Hidden Stories project will run from November 2022 to January 2027 and aims to explore the systems, peoples and cultures that make a book, including its physical and biological properties that reveal new knowledge. Everything from fungal growth on its pages to the trade routes involved in the materials used to make the book will be studied.

Alexandra Gillespie, vice-president and principal of U of T Mississauga, and principal investigator for the Hidden Stories project, joins researchers working on The Book and the Silks Roads project, March 2022. (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

This latest project is named after a public exhibition displayed at the Aga Khan Museum from October 2021 to February 2022. That display, which included contributions from U of T, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and other collaborators, showcased manuscripts including a 17th century manuscript of the Bhagavad Gita from Kashmir.

The Hidden Stories project examines manuscripts in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and across the world including China, Ethiopia, East Africa, North America, Tunisia and Nepal.

Some of these books are so fragile that opening them to read would destroy the manuscript. To get past this hurdle and access its contents, researchers conduct micro-CT scans of the book, layer by layer – not page by page. Because the pages are wavy, and both the ink and the page are made of carbon, reconstructing a 3D model of the scanned layers involves the use of AI.

The project leaders are Gillespie, Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Professor Suzanne Conklin Akbari, and University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) IT Director Sian Meikle, who will provide oversight for project goals and outcomes. Akbari was a professor at U of T for nearly 25 years, including serving as director for the Centre for Medieval Studies between 2013 and 2018 before moving to IAS in New Jersey. She was the co-curator for the Aga Khan Museum exhibition from which the project sprang.

Jessica Lockhart (Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

“We’re working together to preserve and share the knowledge of the past,” says Jessica Lockhart, the Old Books New Science Lab’s head of research, calling this the “most ambitious project” the lab has ever undertaken.

The results of the research will be made available through open-source code, open data repositories, academic publications, media posts, podcasts, videos and exhibits.

UTL project librarian Rachel Di Cresce will direct the project’s technical development and approach to intellectual property, data rights, data sovereignty, sustainability, curation and preservation. IAS research associate Melissa Moreton will co-ordinate individual research clusters based all over the globe, from South Asia to the Americas.

A component of the project is to find better ways to conserve old manuscripts. While some of the books are too fragile to open, other manuscripts made of parchment degrade through a process of gelatinizing. “It’s where the page starts to physically break down on the molecular level,” Lockhart says. “We don’t really have a good conservation solution for that, so that’s part of the work.”

Other conservation issues include what’s known as the carbon black problem. CT scans of books with charcoal ink reveal that the ink and the page are both made of carbon, which makes it difficult to distinguish in a scan, as is the case with some 16th century Kashmiri birchbark manuscripts. Researchers have turned to machine learning, imaging scientists, Sanskrit scholars, librarians and conservators to figure out how to conserve the book and read it.

But the project is much more than scanning old books. In addition to imaging and machine learning, it includes DNA analysis, ecosystem analysis, data management and cataloging. It also involves directing funding toward communities of origins – the communities where the manuscripts were initially found.

PhD student Arka Chakraborty holds a palm leaf manuscript. (Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

One of the project’s primary investigators, Gillespie is interested in "disrupting the traditional narrative about the arrival of printing in Western Europe” which, she explains, is “inconsistent with pre-modern textual culture.”

That narrative, which she refers to as the “Gutenberg myth,” is that the arrival of printing in Western Europe in the 15th century is what produced modernity.

But Hidden Stories aims to change this narrative by studying diverse and creative ways of knowledge-sharing that have existed millennia before the development of the printing press in Europe. Those stories range from the squashed bug flattened between the pages of an old book to textual traditions in non-Western societies that were suppressed by colonialism or Western scholarship.

“The stories we tell about the past shape the way we live in the present,” Gillespie says.

“Recovering knowledge people have ignored, neglected, stolen or excluded, recovering knowledge, sharing it, doing it truthfully, openly, is necessary for our world to thrive,” she adds. "It's also a tool for cultural resilience – a way of giving hope for the future by affirming the cultural vitality of the past."

(Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Among the project’s most important collaborators are members from Indigenous communities, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Munsee Delaware Nation, both located in what is now Ontario. Since the Munsee homeland is in what is now New York and New Jersey, that collaboration is carried on through IAS faculty. Meanwhile in Nepal, U of T collaborators are working with the local community to clean and catalog a collection of manuscripts in a monastery.

Akbari says the project developed organically and soon spread into a web of connections of interested researchers.

“It started very early on with conversations among medievalists at Toronto,” she says. She hopes Hidden Stories will generate research, speak to a wider public, create exhibitions and effect change in curricula.

“The book is a conduit that lets us find ourselves in the past,” she says. “It’s about the different ways of accessing the past, telling those stories in a good way, respecting the evidence and respecting how people have told the story over time.”

U of T mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, lowers flags to half-mast

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 23:35:48 +0000

U of T mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, lowers flags to half-mast

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/08/2022 - 19:35

Cutline

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96, was the longest-serving monarch in British history (photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Sinai Health

Faculty of Arts & Science

Massey College

Meric Gertler

Mount Sinai Hospital

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Queen

Royalty

St. George

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

The University of Toronto is mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, who visited the university on numerous occasions.

Flags on all three U of T campuses are being lowered to half-mast in memory of the Queen, who died Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96. They will remain at half-mast until the day of her state funeral.

The university will also mark the event by having carillonists play the bells in Soldiers’ Tower on Friday at noon, tolling the largest bell once for each year of the Queen’s age at the time of her passing. The royal anthem and O Canada will also be played.

U of T President Meric Gertler said the U of T community joins all Canadians in mourning the loss of the sovereign, noting that, before acceding to the throne, she promised to devote her life to the service of her people.

“She fulfilled that promise with unparalleled grace and dignity, and in so doing set a magnificent example for us all,” President Gertler said in a statement. “Her unfailing devotion to duty has been a constant source of strength and continuity for generations of Canadians as well as countless others around the world.

“Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a world without her.”

Flags fly at half mast at, from left to right, U of T Mississauga, St. George and U of T Scarborough to mark the Queen’s death on Sept. 8, 2022 (photos by Nick Iwanyshyn, Johnny Guatto and Raquel Russell)

He also highlighted the Queen’s contributions to international peace and solidarity through the Commonwealth and noted the U of T community has been enriched by the contributions of students, faculty, librarians, staff and alumni who arrived from or live in fellow Commonwealth countries.

“In tribute to Her Majesty, in this time of sadness and in the years to come, let us remember and learn from her life of dedicated and extraordinarily generous service to others, and give thanks for a life very well lived.”

Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted at Hart House by U of T Chancellor Vincent Massey (Walter F. Mackenzie/University of Toronto Archives)

The Queen’s passing comes 14 months after her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died aged 99.

Princess Elizabeth visits Hart House with U of T Chancellor Vincent Massey on Oct.13, 1951 (Walter F. Mackenzie/University of Toronto Archives)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it is with the “heaviest of hearts” that Canadians learned of the passing of the country’s longest-reigning sovereign.

“For most Canadians, we have known no other Sovereign. Queen Elizabeth II was a constant presence in our lives. Time and again, Her Majesty marked Canada’s modern history,” he said in a statement.

Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the crown in 1952 at age 25. She went on to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history, marking her Platinum Jubilee this past February.

She is to be succeeded as monarch by her eldest son Charles, Prince of Wales – now King Charles III.

David Onley, former lieutenant governor of Ontario and a senior lecturer in the department of political science at U of T Scarborough, said he has warm recollections of meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2008.

“The experience my wife and I had was quite amazing to us in that the conversation was not superficial. The Queen really engaged in our conversation,” Onley said.

He added that the Queen took great interest in the results of Canada’s federal election, which had taken place the night before. “I was really quite amazed as to how well-briefed she was. She wanted to know about Stephen Harper, she wanted to know about why the Liberals had lost so badly on that occasion – so it wasn’t just a superficial chit-chat.

“At the same time, I would say that she interacted with everybody like that – and that was one of the fundamental reasons for her passing being felt by so many people. Because everybody has stories – if you met the Queen, you had a story – and that was because of her degree of engagement.”

Onley said the Queen’s impeccable reputation during her seven-decade reign – he noted that her first prime minister was Winston Churchill and her last, the recently elected Elizabeth Truss; and that she had met all but one of the U.S. presidents since the Second World War – was testament to her complete devotion to the role.

“This is a particular accomplishment, and you would not have that kind of reputation if you were just effectively mailing in the responsibilities,” Onley said. “She saw it as a lifetime of service and executed that service right to the very end.”

He added that the frequency and range of the Queen’s visits to Ontario and Canada “give you the sense of the degree of interest that she had in this province, and other provinces as well.”

Queen Elizabeth II attends the Festival of Ontario at the CNE in 2002, making a stop in front of the U of T Blue Sky Solar Racing Team’s display (photo via Flickr)

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Toronto seven times, with their first visit taking place in 1951, four months before the Queen’s coronation. On that occasion, the royal couple were driven to the steps of Hart House, where they waved to cheering crowds and posed for photos.

In 1973, the Queen returned to Toronto and laid the cornerstone for the new Mount Sinai Hospital, part of Sinai Health and one of U of T’s partner hospitals. The hospital is located next to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, named in honour of the Queen’s sister.

In 2002, the royal couple visited Toronto again during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, which coincided with U of T’s 175^th anniversary. During the celebrations, the Queen visited a U of T display where she spoke with undergraduate students from the Blue Sky Solar Racing team who were present with their solar-powered car.

“I recall that the Queen had such a presence,” said Nicolle Wahl, director of content in U of T Mississauga’s Office of Communications, who was present at the U of T display. “[She was] very warm and curious – and it was wonderful to see how excited the students were to meet her.”

A letter written by Princess Elizabeth to U of T Chancellor Vincent Massey dated Feb. 17, 1952 (photo by Larysa Woloszansky)

The Queen’s 22^ndand final tour of Canada took place in 2010 and included a visit to Queen’s Park – named in honour of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria and located amid U of T’s St. George campus – where she presented Ontario Medals for Good Citizenship and waved to thousands of cheering well-wishers.

The Queen’s impact on U of T did not end with her last visit to Toronto, however. In 2017, Massey College announced that the Queen agreed to designate the college’s St. Catherine’s Chapel as the third Chapel Royal in Canada, which made it the first interdenominational Chapel Royal in the country.The request for the designation was made by John Fraser, then the master of Massey College, with the support of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. It was inspired in part by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library has one of 25 souvenir Bibles created to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1953 (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The Queen’s ties with Massey College can be traced back to her close relationship with the college’s founder Vincent Massey, who was Canada’s 18^th Governor General and a U of T chancellor from 1947 to 1953.

Letters written by the Queen to Massey – and preserved at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library – speak to a warm personal rapport.

In one letter dated February 1952, the Queen responded to a letter of condolence sent to her by Massey upon the passing of her father, King George VI. In her letter, the Queen expresses her gratitude for Massey’s condolences and notes that her father was in much better condition when Massey had last met him, but had then taken a turn for the worse. The Queen also states her regret at the fact that she was on a tour in Africa when her father died and was saddened by not being able to be home to comfort and console her mother and sister.

Another letter written from Balmoral Castle – where the Queen would eventually take her last breath – thanked Massey for being a great governor general. In another letter to Massey, written from Buckingham Palace in 1957, the Queen recounts her visit to the United States.

A letter written by Queen Elizabeth II to Vincent Massey on the occasion of his retirement as governor general of Canada (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is also in possession of one of 25 souvenir Bibles created to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1953. Bible #1 was used for the coronation ceremony – the Queen gifted Bible #17 to Massey.

Randall Hansen, professor in the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and the director of the global migration lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, said the Queen’s many accomplishments include overseeing a modernization of the monarchy – noting as examples her decision to agree to pay income tax and the landmark wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

“Leaving aside how it all ended, the marriage of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was a moment of a highly modern monarchy – an inter-racial marriage and a Black Baptist American minister who oversaw the service.”

He added that the Queen’s son and heir to the throne will benefit from the prestige of the monarchy and the Queen’s impact on the institution.

“It is the institution of the Crown, it is the institution of the monarchy that bestows the prestige … that institution will bequeath on him the full prestige of the monarchy,” Hansen said. “I suspect that he’s going to be quite a successful King.”

Hansen said it was remarkable that Queen Elizabeth II, over the course of an extraordinarily long reign, was not embroiled in a scandal of any significance.

“The Queen somehow managed to be above all of that, decade after decade after decade.”