IT and history: Digitization of Arctic Institute collection broadens access to documentation of exploration of the North

Digitization of Arctic Institute collection broadens access to documentation of exploration of the North in the 1800s and early 1900s.

There are 24 letters written by Franklin in the collection that belongs to the Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) at the University of Calgary. It has now been digitized and made available online as part of the Arctic and Northern Studies digital collection hosted by Libraries and Cultural Resources.

Along with Franklin’s letters, the collection contains materials such as maps, manuscripts, photographs, sketches, and lithographs that relate to Arctic exploration in the 1800s and early 1900s. One map dates as far back as 1595.

The originals, most of which contain previously unpublished data, are held by Special Collections on behalf of AINA. The materials were prepared by staff with Digitization and Repository Services and Photo Services in Libraries and Cultural Resources. They were uploaded to the digital collection with metadata and transcripts.