Rare Books & Special Collections, UBC Archives and the Records Management Office (RMO) will be closed Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

RBSC librarians and archivists will be working remotely and may still be able to assist with reference questions submitted  through the RBSC contact form or by sending an email to rare.books@ubc.ca or to a specific librarian or archivist. Inquiries for University Archives can be sent through the contact form. Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.

UBC.ca continues to be the most up-to-date and authoritative source of information about the University’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to the quickly evolving situation with COVID-19, the Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives reading room will be closed until further notice.

During this time librarians, archivists, and staff will be working remotely to continue to support patrons to the extent possible. Please see our Rare Books and Special Collections Remote Resources and Services Guide for more information and assistance.

Feel free to contact us through the RBSC contact form or by sending an email to rare.books@ubc.ca or to a specific librarian or archivist. Inquiries for University Archives can be sent through their contact form or direct email.

During our reading room closure, be sure to explore digitized materials from RBSC’s collections available through UBC Library’s Open Collections. RBSC’s LibGuides provide helpful links to digitized materials by subject matter or collection where available. There are also a number of digitized primary source materials available through UBC Library’s subscription databases.

Please check the UBC Library homepage and the Rare Books and Special Collections homepage for future updates about reading room operations.

Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding during these uncertain times and be well.

UBC Education Library has compiled an Electronic Resources booklist with teacher resources, picture books, fiction, and non-fiction books that are available immediately online through the UBC Library catalogue and other resources.

Additionally, the “Open Access Electronic Resources” booklist has a selection of resources, including picture books, non-fiction, audiobooks, documentaries, and more, which are available free of charge to all.