10 unique digital collections give you a new view into southern Alberta history

Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) has been digitizing and creating unique digital collections since the late 1990s. We pride ourselves on providing access to distinctive digitized and born digital content from LCR’s holdings.

As a historical record, some of this history can be fun, but it can also be messy. Images and terminology that were acceptable a century ago are no longer appropriate; as a result, we strive to keep the historical context intact while at the same time updating the descriptions to include modern terminology.

Our digital collections site had nearly four million views last year. With over 20 years of collections, more than three million digital objects and 20 terabytes of content, you are sure to find something that will delight, intrigue, and challenge your understanding of our Southern Alberta history.

Local Histories

Explore the history of small towns, city suburbs, and hamlets from across Canada in the Local Histories digital collection. This collection contains digitized books written by historical committees and public historians that share the history of Canadian cities, towns, and villages.

Originally made available as part of Our Future, Our Past: Alberta Heritage Digitization Project, Local Histories was one of our first digital collections, and it remains one of our most popular.

Calgary Stampede Archive

Experience the Calgary Stampede through event photographs, programs, catalogues, corporate records, and other printed ephemera from Calgary Stampede Archives from 1908 to the early 2000s.

Multicultural Alberta

Explore these oral histories, local histories, and Alberta and Canadian newspapers to get a glimpse into the Alberta immigrant experience.

Early Alberta Newspapers

Daily and weekly newspapers from various communities in Alberta from 1885 to 2001. This collection was originally made available as part of Our Future, Our Past: Alberta Heritage Digitization Project.

Historical Maps and Air Photos

Digitized maps and air photos from UCalgary’s Spatial and Numeric Data Services and Archives and Special Collections, focused primarily on the Western Canadian prairies.

Medical History

Photographs, journals, and books documenting medical milestones and profiles of important medical figures in Alberta's history from the Alberta Heritage Digitization Project.

Alberta Law

Can you keep a pet rat in Alberta? You can find the historical legal documents from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta plus retrospective and current bylaws from a selection of Alberta municipalities.

Glenbow Library and Archives

LCR has been providing access to Glenbow Library and Archives digital content since 2020. If you are a historian, you are probably aware of this rich collection of Western Canadian history. If you aren’t, investigate this collection with any topic in mind and see what you can find. Cats? Check. Victoria Day? Check. Summer fun? Check. This is an unparalleled resource for researchers and students exploring local, regional, and provincial history.

Mountain Studies

Our growing Mountain Studies collection supports a multidisciplinary view for studying the mountains. Our initial digital collection contains digitized postcards from the Byron Harmon collection of postcards. These postcards are views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Purcell Mountains. Several postcards include messages to loved ones.

Natural History

For our naturalists, discover Alberta’s rich natural history through our Alberta Native Bees, Herbarium, and Geoscience collections. These collections are created by faculty, students, and researchers.