Curriculum Time Turner - Historical AB School Textbooks are Online!

For a trip down memory lane (without jumping in the DeLorean), you can now peruse our online collection of 1,800 historical textbooks that were used in Albertan schools as far back as 1885! The Wiedrick Collection is a gold mine for researchers and teachers interested in the history of education in our province. The digitized items allow for keyword searching, are downloadable in a variety of formats and include information regarding when and what subject it was used for. The print collection is housed in the H.T. Coutts Education & Physical Education library and is in the process of being digitized thanks to a bequest from the estate of Mary Wiedrick, wife of the late Laurence (“Laurie”) Wiedrick.
Laurie Wiedrick [1925-1982], was passionate about preserving the milestones of the education system. He worked as a teacher-librarian in Toronto, Calgary, and Edmonton as well as a Supervisor of School Libraries for the Edmonton Public School Board. After joining the University of Alberta's Department of Elementary Education, he coordinated the University's Curriculum Laboratory which included the development of the Historical Curriculum Collection in 1964.  Fast forward to 2016 and it is now one of the most comprehensive collections of this nature in the province. In addition to textbooks, it also includes historical curriculum guides. Wiedrick was later awarded a full professorship in Elementary Education and helped to establish the University's School of Library Science.


For more information about this project contact: Kim Frail (kim.frail@ualberta.ca)