Circumpolar Library

The Circumpolar pamphlets collection comprises a variety of ephemeral and unpublished documents, including government and institutional reports. This unique collection of just over 3,000 items originally collected by Boreal Institute for Northern Studies Library in the 1960s – 1980s. In 1990 the institute changed their name to the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and the collection was transferred to the University of Alberta Library. The boundaries of the collection are geographic with an emphasis on North American arctic and sub-arctic regions. Information about the northern portions of the Canadian provinces and Canadian Indigenous peoples, Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia, Antarctica, and cold regions in general are also included. A statement on catalogue and resource descriptions:The University of Alberta Library recognizes that our catalogue and resource descriptions contain language that reflects the biases, norms, and perspectives of the time in which they were created. In particular, for resources about persons and groups, this language is often outdated and harmful. These descriptions also incorporate controlled vocabularies, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings, which include some headings (e.g., Indians of North America), that are offensive or inappropriate. We use international standards for description, but support and actively participate in efforts to update and change these practices as we strive for descriptions that are inclusive, respectful, and do not cause harm. We acknowledge the critical importance of community consultation in these efforts, and as residents on Treaty 6 territory and Métis Region 4, we commit to working together with our local communities to make these changes. For more information about our Internet Archive collections, please contact digitization@ualberta.ca.