Wheeling into the past...

In honour of Bike to Work Week 2011, here are a few treasures from the BC Archives visual library. All of the originals can be found using the call numbers listed in the captions and the BC Archives search engine. Enjoy!

Magical Mystery Tour?

From the desk of Sean Rodman, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Royal BC Museum

There's a little mystery linked to John Lennon and his Rolls Royce. Maybe you can help solve it. We've posted before about the amazing Rolls Royce that's currently sitting in the lobby of the Royal BC Museum. We know quite a lot about this automobile. But there is something that we don't know…

First, some interesting facts:

• the Rolls Royce Phantom V was purchased by John in 1965. It was painted "Valentine's Black" - a flat, matte paint job. But the inside of the car was altered significantly. A bed was installed, as well as a record player, TV, and other rock star trimmings.
  
  


• John travelled to Spain to film "How I Won the War" and brought his car and driver with him. While there, the car suffered from damage to its paint job from abrasive desert sands.
  
  
• Returning to England, he had the car repainted in 1967 with a bright yellow base and illustrations typical of Romany Gypsy style. This was inspired, in part, by a Gypsy caravan that he had recently purchased for his son, Julian, as a playhouse. Here's a great archival video of the Rolls Royce shortly after delivery in its new colours.
  

And now for the mystery. On the roof of the Rolls Royce is a symbol. Some sources state that this is John's astrological sign: Libra. But the actual marking doesn't really resemble the traditional astrological symbol for Libra. Here it is:

So what is it? Let us know what you think. By the way, we're also on the hunt for his 1967 portable, black-and-white Sony television, or the same model. The original disappeared before we acquired the Rolls Royce. Do you happen to know where we could find it?

Seeing the Big Picture with the Big Map

From the desk of Sean Rodman, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Royal BC Museum

If you've visited us recently, you must have seen the Big Map in our lobby. Stretching almost 8 metres from floor to ceiling, it's an amazing snapshot of British Columbia.

Where did it come from? Back in 2005, the Big Map was unveiled as the world’s first three-dimensional map of British Columbia based solely on satellite imagery. It is exceptional in detail and dramatic in size. The map provides a never-before-seen perspective on our home. Coupled with a dramatic overlay of movies and digital animation, the map demonstrates an exciting new way to tell the stories of British Columbia and its people.

The Big Map under construction in 2005

Since its opening several films have been produced to play on the big map including First Peoples, Climate Change, and Water. In addition to the movies, the digital animations that play on the map are often a huge draw for visitors. These animations illustrate the size of our province and relative population through direct comparison to other countries. I was surprised to see Ireland or Taiwan tuck neatly into the outline of Vancouver Island: somehow I always think of us as tiny in comparison to these international heavyweights!

Even if you can't visit in person, we can now give you a sample of the Big Map online. Recently we transported the digital animations to the internet. Click here to enjoy them!

Top Ten Reasons Why the Royal BC Museum ROCKS!

From the desk of Sean Rodman, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Royal BC Museum

We're going to jump on a trend that was started by the Vancouver Police Museum blog, and continued over at the Museum of Anthropology blog. Both of these institutions think that they rock, and each have listed 10 reasons why.


I'm not arguing. In fact, I'm a huge fan of both and encourage you to visit, either virtually or in person. But I'd like to jump on the bandwagon, and add our own 10 reasons why the Royal BC Museum rocks!


10. We have a mammoth
Not just any mammoth - our mammoth diorama has been a highlight for many visitors over the years. The full story on Woolly can be found in an earlier Royal BC Museum blog post.


9. We try to pull the wool over your eyes (for a good cause)
Artifact or Artifiction is our annual gala fundraiser, and is held in the fall of each year. What makes the evening unique is that guests play a game: 20 curators explain their favourite artifact or specimen. Some of them are lying, and it's up to you to tell the difference. This year, we were joined by almost 400 guests, and raised over $90,000 that will go directly towards a new travelling exhibit on invasive species.


8. We preserve and protect over 7 million artifacts, specimens and documents
We are the keepers of our provincial history. So our collections cover all areas of natural and human history. Our collection ranges from this, to that. Of course, we need a lot of space to keep all this stuff. Our facilities cover an entire city block, taking up about 250,000 square feet. Like an iceberg, most of this space is "beneath the surface" and out of public view. Over 70% of our facility is behind the scenes and used for curatorial /archival /conservation purposes. However, if you come to our current exhibit or take a Backstage Pass tour, you can get a sneak peek at what goes on behind closed doors...

7. We offer free programs
We have lots of free activities happening throughout the year. For example, our lobby is filled with Rememberance Day displays and programming right now, all available for free. We have free Live at Lunch lectures on a range of topics. With your admission, there's a whole range of free tours that you can take, plus daily lectures and workshops in our galleries. And if you're a member, there are even more possibilities. Want to find out what's on?

6. We have the best view in Victoria.
Come up to our second floor gallery and check out the view of the provincial Legislature and inner harbour of Victoria. It's a view you won't get anywhere else. Actually, we keep the very best lookout up in the 13 storey Fannin collections tower - see for yourself using our live webcam.


5. We're a centre of expertise
While most people might only think of our galleries and exhibitions, we're also an important hub for research. Our curators and collections managers work with researchers around the world on a huge variety of projects. Their talents encompass a wide range of topics: from curators who are leading experts on climate change to exhibition arts technicians who can recreate a 19th century kitchen for an exhibit.


4. We reach out to the province
On-line and in-person, we share our knowledge with province. Our website and online resources are getting better all the time (and we're working on our coolest website yet for the "Aliens Among Us" exhibition) In the real world, we hope to send our travelling exhibit on Invasive Species to communities across the province in 2011. But we need your help to do it.


3. We educate and entertain
About 350,000 people come through our doors every year, and come away with new ideas and insights. Annually, more than 25,000 school children learn in our galleries. 450-500 volunteers make it all happen. And there's always something to learn at the museum through our lectures, workshops and tours. Check it out.


2. We've got big plans (and we could use your advice)
The Royal BC Museum has just started the process of rezoning - which doesn't sound exciting in itself, but it paves the way for some big future developments. Right now, we're talking about what our next 100 years might look like - please learn more and let us know what you think.


1. We're your museum
This is your place, your past and present. Come join us, and see for yourself why we rock!

Social Media and Museums

We've just passed the six month mark with the Royal BC Museum blog! Dipping our toes in the sea of social media, we've tried to make the blog into a window on the life of our museum. As part of the blogging team, I know I've had fun reading and writing about everything from Captain Cook to the history of our Mammoth.

On the Facebook side of things, we're closing in on 1000 friends, and have had a lively stream of comments on our wall. And we're building up our collection of YouTube videos - the one about the Teddy Bear is still my favourite.

While we're not the biggest bloggers in town, we're happy with how things have gone. The point of social media, for us, is to engage you in our work and play. We want you to comment on what we've said, tell a friend about what you've learned, or think about how you can be a part of what we do. Social media makes reaching out like this easier than ever before.

What about other museums? Want to learn more about social media and museums?

A good starting point is the fabulous blog by Nina Simon. Her posts on social media and museums are always fascinating. If you want to hear Nina in person, she'll be the keynote speaker at the upcoming British Columbia Museums Association conference. Another interesting conference is the annual Museums and the Web - they also publish all of their papers and presentations online. It can be a little academic, but provides a great snapshot of the "state of the art" in the museum world.

Finally, check out a recent online event that was probably the biggest example of social media engagement by museums around the world. Ask a Curator Day was held on September 1st, 2010. On that day, 340 museums made their curators available to answer any questions asked by the public via Twitter. It was, by all accounts, a huge success. If it happens next year, perhaps we can join in that conversation, too!

My top five favourite Royal BC Museum activities

From the desk of Melaina Haas, Communications Coordinator at the Royal BC Museum.

5 – Having lunch in the Native Plant Garden
The Native Plant Garden is one of Victoria’s best-kept secrets – or, was… I guess I just spilled the beans. With more than 400 species of plants native to British Columbia, this spot – paired with a tuna fish sandwich – is positively paradise on a sunny day. And while you’re here, stroll up the stairs and check out the dinosaur footprints. (Look closely at the ground behind the green snack kiosk and you’ll spot a cast of original impressions left by a meat-eating carnosaur and a plant-loving hadrosaur in BC’s Peace River Canyon. Rawr!

4 – Researching family history in the BC Archives
Snuggled up to the Native Plant Garden is another one of my favourite spots, the BC Archives. As a kid, I loved reading “old stuff.” My mom had a copy of the newspaper that announced the marriage of my grandparents some 65 years ago and I must’ve read that thing at least a hundred times (the ads were my favourite). Even though my family doesn’t have roots in BC, I still find the photos and documents in the archives fascinating. If you’re lucky enough to have a history in this province, definitely pop by and see what you can find – you might be surprised! If you want more information about planning a visit, go to the BC Archives website.

3 – Chilling with Charlie in Old Town’s movie theatre
Where in Victoria can you spend an afternoon in an early 20th-century movie theatre with Charlie Chaplin? On the third floor of the museum in Old Town, of course! The details in the Majestic Theatre are astounding. Check out the golden designs on the walls and ceiling and, if you sit near the back of the room, listen for the “tick-tick-tick” of the movie projector!

2 – Testing my sea legs on the Discovery ship
Come aboard Captain George Vancouver’s ship. Built in 1789, the (real) HMS Discovery was a 340-ton, three-masted square-rigged ship with 10 four-pound cannons and 10 swivel guns. The replica portion you can enter contains the captain’s cabin and sleeping area. The combination of sound effects (creaking of the ship) and smell effects (salt and tar) does something funny to me… when I disembark the boat, I always feel like I’m about to topple over. I guess I’m no salty dog.

1 – Singing in the Natural History Gallery’s echo-chamber
My top (after-hours) Royal BC Museum activity is singing opera in the Natural History Gallery’s echo-chamber. The domed roof of the forest diorama carries (and even amplifies) the quietest murmur from one side of the room to the other. Madame Butterfly, at your service!

Do you have a favourite Royal BC Museum activity? If so, I’d love to hear from you.

Tales from the B.C. Archives

Blogging: new thing. Blogging about: old things – well, sort of. I’m an archivist, and in my blog entries I’d like to take you on a virtual tour of B.C.’s past via records in the B.C. Archives. Some are indeed “old,” but others are relatively new. All of them give us a glimpse into the way things were. It’s a bit like time travel, without the trouble of landing on the wrong planet in the wrong era.

At the Archives we’ve got a way-back machine, and its fuel is photos, manuscripts, sound recordings, films, maps, books and government records. There are a lot. We think we have something like 3 million photographs, but we haven’t finished counting (let alone scanning). Books – probably upwards of 80,000. Maps – 68,000 (at least). Boxes of records – more than 75,000. Films – 4,000 plus. You get the picture. It’s a vast resource – and they all record some aspect of the history of B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. They are the raw material of our individual and collective history. They’re also all waiting for someone to have that “Ah Ha!” moment, when a document turns out to be the missing link that proves a point, settles a boundary dispute, or fills in a branch on someone’s family tree. I’m lucky because I often get to tag along with our researchers on these voyages of discovery, and I’m also going to be able to blog about them.

As a reference archivist, I help people find those nuggets of information buried within the vast collection. Sometimes the queries are routine – “I’d like a copy of my great grand-father’s probate file” (usually an easy find if someone died in B.C.)….and sometimes a little more challenging, like “When and where was the first flush toilet installed in B.C.?” (Couldn’t answer that one definitively – but I did find some photographs of early toilets and bathrooms!). (Photo: Model bathroom used in a construction course, Como Lake High School, 1953, B.C. Archives I-22816.)

Most of the time I can give tips on how to make our website cough up sources of information. For example, if Sean, my fellow blogger had wanted more images relating to Captain James Cook I could have found him 38 images in our collection – everything from Cook’s boyhood home in England, to the beach and natives at Friendly Cove in Nootka Sound, ca. 1870.

(That’s where Cook became the first European to set foot on Vancouver’s Island as it was known then) in 1778. (We don’t have any photographs of that historic event, naturally, but we do have copies of works of art that purport to document it.) (Photo: Nootka Sound natives and the crew of Her Majesty’s gunboat “Rocket”, Friendly Cove, ca. 1870, B.C. Archives C-07303.)

For me the most interesting inquiries lead to records that I never imagined existed, or thought that I would find in our Archives. Who knew we have several photographs of toilet paper being manufactured in New Westminster in 1949? (Photo: Toilet tissue manufacturing at Westminster Paper, 1949, B.C. Archives I-28054.)

Sorry, couldn’t resist, but now I’m on a roll with the bathroom examples….. Anyway, if you’ve forgiven me the bad pun, check in periodically for a look at some of our more interesting records and where they can take you. Next up, all in one family – a disinherited and intestate son, the missing brother, an affair between a brother and sister-in-law, and death by Jeep and a Tesco’s lorry.

For those interested in searching for specific records relating to their own research interests, visit our website at http://www.bcarchives.bc.ca/ - or call us at 250-387-1952 (toll-free through Enquiry B.C. 1-800-663-7867).