Probably the biggest development at the University Archives and Special Collections over the past month was the installation of Cheryl Avery’s fabulous display on memory, portrait, and biography display on memory, portrait, and biography. She was assisted in her work by Beth Richert, who described and displayed materials on loan from the Museum of Antiquities.

A new mini display also went up in honour of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Awareness week (May 2- 6) . The display is titled “Dawning Awareness” and concentrates on the evolving ways in which mental health has been perceived from the Victorian era to present day. The ground floor cases by the Starbucks feature a timeline of materials, while the upstairs cases in room 301 concentrate on mental health as it has been handled in Saskatchewan, and studied at the University.

The Queer as Film series continues at the Public Library, with posters from Neil Richards’ collection available for viewing. Yesterday, Neil brought some material about lesbian novelist Jane Rule, to accompany the film “Fiction & Other Truths.”

Other things:

• Last month we saw a number of researchers come in to view materials relating to The Man of the Trees, Richard St. Barbe Baker. One of these came all the way from Sheffield (UK) to view materials in the St. Barbe Baker fonds.
• Dee Gibson’s installation “Nesting” at the Public Library will be available for viewing until May 26th.