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Link to Bonnycastle Library Catalogue
Canadian Biography - An Introduction
Canadian Biography - An Introduction
It can be important to take note of the names a person uses when researching any biographies. For example, Tommy Douglas' full name is Thomas Clement Douglas (Canadian politician); Frederick Philip Grove's (Canadian novelist) original name is Felix Paul Greve. Depending what you are searching, you may want to try the different iterations of names. Newspaper articles will generally refer to the person by the name, or title, they use at the time of the article's printing.
Encyclopedias are an excellent starting point for biographies but it is a good idea to move past the encyclopedias to other sources. Periodical databases are provide news and journal articles about the individual, but also provide perspective about what the person was doing when they were alive. Consider using the time limiters to focus on works written in the person's life time or to see if the perspective of the person changes over time.
Databases
Databases
Click the icon to access. You require a username and password from home. For tutorials and information about the database click the help button below or beside the resource.
The Library Catalogue
The Library Catalogue
The Bonnycastle Library has several Canadian biography anthologies. We also have many individual biographies.
Do a keyword search using the individual's name. If the results are limited,
try searching Canada biography as a subject and search within the index of the books for individual.
Also, the individual you are researching played a role in Canadian history, so books about Canadian history may also contain information about the individual and the role they played in Canada.
Email Mrs. Bergen (jbergen@sjr.mb.ca) who will help you locate resources in the library.
Online Biographical Sources
Online Biographical Sources
How you search will depend, to some degree, on when and where the individual was living. You may also want to consider if the person lived in a variety of places. You may need to do some focused searching in more than one jurisdiction.
Online version represents a major joint research project between University of Toronto and Université Laval.
Biographies on a range of Canadians. Browse their different collections or use the search bar at the top of the page.
Contains content from books, serials, and government publications that span over three hundred years.
From a US university, this page links to various places to view digitized copies of historical newspapers across Canada.
Covers a time span from the late 18th century to 1977. It contains over 20,000 records; the majority come from newspapers such as the Globe and Mail, Toronto Daily Star, Gazette, and Mail and Empire.
Manitoba Sources
Manitoba Sources
Well worth reviewing if the individual is Manitoban. They also have a section of Personal Memoirs.
Manitobia is particularly helpful because of the digitized early newspapers. It also includes local history books. Manitobia is now part of the University of Manitoba's Digital Collections.
The Manitoba Legislative Library holds scrapbooks and files about prominent Manitobans. Unfortunately, these resources haven't been digitized but can be accessed by contacting the Library.
Keystone Archives Description Database includes the archival holdings of the Archives that have been digitized.
Hudson's Bay Company Archives Resources includes biographical sheets, Fur Trade Post maps, and other resources related to the Hudson's Bay Company
Peel's Prairie Provinces is a resource dedicated to assisting scholars, students, and researchers of all types in their exploration of western Canadian history and the culture of the Canadian prairies.
Canadian Sources and streaming video
Canadian Sources and streaming video
Curio is a streaming video service through the CBC. It includes documentaries from television and radio, news reports and more. SJR subscribes to the News in Review, National Geographic, and BBC channels.
Canadian news and current events magazine. Full issues from 1905 - present.
Globe and Mail is one of Canada's major newspapers. It is based out of Ontario.
Online Searching - Tips
Online Searching - Tips
With Canadian research, you may want to focus on materials on the Canadian government websites. It is important to know what level of government is responsible for your topic .
To search all federal (Government of Canada) material try using the following search in your browser of choice: site:.canada.ca topic OR site:.gc.ca topic
To search all provincial (Manitoba Government) material try using the following search in your browser of choice: site:.gov.mb.ca topic
News aggregators:
News aggregators:
News aggregators are very helpful because they search a large number of sources with one search. Periodical databases are an example of an aggregator as they combine journals, magazines, newspapers, and other sources into one platform. If you choose to search the web for news articles, please try:
When searching online (and in databases):
When searching online (and in databases):
think about your search terms - are there synonyms that could work? - women OR woman ; climate change OR global warming
surround phrases with quotation marks: "division of powers"
to combine search terms, use AND: "division of powers" AND Canada
use singular terms when possible: revolution instead of revolutions
Citation generator and Essay organizer
Citation generator and Essay organizer
NoodleTools will help format citations and bibliography in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. It will also help organize notes, create an outline, and integrate sources into a paper.
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