-BIBLIOSMIA-
the act of smelling books, especially as a way of getting a ‘fix’ from the aroma of old tomes.
HELLO, fellow archivists. My name is Schyler [shy–lur]. Fun right? I would love to tell you an interesting fact about the origins of my name and its connection to a unique history; however, it is simply the result of an artistic and creative mother. I am 5th generation Canadian, having grown up in Squamish [Sḵwx̱wú7mesh] and now living in Vancouver to peruse my Undergraduate in Honours English Literature at the University of British Columbia. Future educational ambitions include masters in either Archeology or in a field related to Government Communications and Peace Keeping. English Honours thus far has been awesome. By awesome I mean I really love my degree and the materials I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to thus far. My favorite class was a 491 Theory Seminar with Professor Chris Lee last semester. I am also thoroughly enjoying Dr. Potter’s take on eighteenth-century Libertinism (I’m always down for a bit of smut and decadence).
This class was on my hit list for a while for two main reasons:
- I find there something romantic about being lost in a pile of dusty papers, intimately searching through each one to find an introspective hint into the past. I love the familiar aromatic of old books and a class that allows me to embrace that nerdy enjoyment was a no brainer. As the title of this blog suggests I am passionately interested in Nautical themed encounters, especially those regarding Piracy, adventure, and combat and hope to incorporate that in my blog posts and term projects where possible.
- The course description explicitly mentions an aim to question what our canon is comprised of, who chose the now treasures in our archives, and why these items had been deemed to hold a certain level importance. Relating back to the aforementioned Theory Seminar, I wrote a manifesto on what it meant to ethically “Read in the Here and Now” which acknowledged the need for such questioning of our canon, especially being British Columbians whose history is primarily based on Colonial influence and seeded with an often understated and dark history. More than a simple polemic tendency, I genuinely find importance in questioning the material we have access to today and consider whose influence has affected and aided in shaping our pools of knowledge.
I have attempted to dip my fingers into the messy world of archives throughout Vancouver’s quaint museum scene. The Vancouver Police Museum was my first experience to which I was involved in general research and archival in-house research in preparation for their newest exhibit – Bridging the Gap: Vancouver’s Youth and the Law.
My second encounter was with the Vancouver Maritime Museum. I volunteered this past summer to help with the installation of their newest exhibition called “Across the Top of the World: the Quest for the Northwest Passage.”
Here are the links to both their websites. If you haven’t been before I highly encourage you to visit.
http://vancouverpolicemuseum.ca
http://www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com/exhibit/across-top-world
Until next time,
Schyler F. Edmundson
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