Researching the site
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As
the researcher and writer of the site, I was responsible for finding
the information that we put up on the web. I also spent quite
a bit of time searching for pictures to go with the historical
information. The first step was to go on a tour of St. Ann's,
to see the building as it looks today. The appearance of the Academy,
even though the interior has changed a great deal since its years
as a school and convent, gave me an idea of the size and style
of the architecture and in which parts of the building the different
classrooms were situated. I spent some time on my own, walking
through the grounds, for the same reason.
Most of my research was done in archives. An archive is a sort
of library for papers, letters, photographs, books and other important
items that can give us information about special topics. The Province
of British Columbia has an archives, as do most cities and towns.
The Sisters of Saint Ann have their own very well organized archives.
Not all of their documents were about the Academy, but there were
many things to look at and read. Unlike a library, these things
cannot be taken away from the building, so I needed to use them
during the hours they were open, when Sister Margaret Cantwell,
the Archivist, and Mickey King, her assistant, were available.
I
found out about the lives of the Sisters and their students in
many interesting ways:
Every
few years, the school would publish a prospectus, a brochure describing
the Academy and its curriculum for parents interested in sending
their children. In many prospecti, there were pictures, lists
of clubs and descriptions of the girls' uniforms.
The
literary club, the Thomas Aquinas Circle, would put together a
publication of stories and news events at the school, called the
Aquinian. In 1973, the year the school closed, an annual was put
together, including students from the past 100 years.
Information
about individual Sisters could be found in volumes of a type of
book called a Necrology. Here, the biographies of Sisters who
have passed away are collected together, including their given
and religious names, their place of birth and some of their accomplishments.
Most of the research materials in the archives, such as letters,
school registers and photographs, are what is known as "
primary sources". A primary source is one that is first hand
information, something that can be seen directly. A secondary
source is something like a book, which somebody has written, about
a relevant subject. The authors have often researched the primary
sources for us in their books. St. Ann's was a Roman Catholic
school, so it was important to understand some of the events that
led to changes in their church and the meaning of the symbols
in their buildings. Reference books, such as dictionaries and
encyclopaedias, were helpful for those aspects.
Newspaper clippings, student essays and even unexciting records
such as bills and receipts can provide historical information
that can be used to add facts to the memories of the people who
were involved with the Academy. One of the most important sources
for many parts of the web site came from interviews, of students,
staff and former teachers, as well as with the people involved
in the restoration of the building. I was fortunate to have access
to a series of recorded interviews, done during the 1990s restoration
project. I was also able to speak to several individuals about
specific subjects. These memories, though not always accurate
in terms of details such as dates and exact locations, are very
valuable. They give an element to the history of the Academy that
facts and figures, by themselves, could not do.
Part of doing research is making sure the facts are correct and
the details are accurate. Some people remember things differently
than others, so it is important to compare different accounts.
I read in one book that Bishop Demers laid the cornerstone for
a part of the school, while another source noted that he had passed
away two months before that event took place!
I enjoyed the project very much, but there were many difficulties.
Many times, I would want information about a certain topic that
was just not available. Other times, it would take hours and hours
to find one small fact. When you look at the text of this site,
think of how many months have gone into finding the information,
then piecing it together to give an interesting history. One of
the biggest challenges, for me, was to meet deadlines. The other
people on the team depended on me to give them the text to put
on the web and to base the student activities on. They were very
patient, but I often wished there was more time to work on the
different sections.
The most enjoyable parts of the experience included meeting people,
and learning about the lives of so many women that influenced
the early history of my city. My own area of interest is architectural
history, so it was a change for me to learn more about the people
that use that architecture.
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