An exhibit of archival images of dogs has taken over a small section of the Route Verte biking trail just behind Bishop’s University for the summer. Four colourful information boards make up the open-air exhibit on [wo]man’s best friend, each one detailing an aspect of the common history people share with our canine friends.
The project was organized as part of a collaboration between Bishop’s and the Eastern Townships Resource Centre, or ETRC, an organization that houses an archive of images and information inside of the university’s old library.
The primary focus of the archives is the historical development of the anglophone community of the Eastern townships. It also houses a trove of genealogical information for those trying to trace their lineage.
A new course offered at Bishop’s, called “History and the Archives”, provides students with the opportunity to learn about research using, and the preservation of, historical documents. Béatrice Piché submitted their project about our history with dogs as an assignment to this course, and that project was transformed into the exhibit on display.
