In September Special Collections participated in Waterloo Region’s Doors Open event for the second year in a row, this year welcoming over 65 visitors to view the department’s exhibit “Doors Open: Through the Photographer’s Lens.”
The exhibit’s theme celebrated the role of photographers to open doors to spaces and scenes throughout history that may otherwise remain undocumented. It showcased the archives of local photographers Robert Nicol (Personal Studio) and Charles Belair, as well as images from the Kitchener-Waterloo Record Photographic Negative Collection and other archives held by the University of Waterloo Library.
These local photographers documented the industrial presence in the Waterloo Region after WWII through their commercial assignments. They also took extraordinary photographs that are not commonly found in a professional photographer’s repertoire: they photographed people working inside those buildings at their jobs.
Visitors especially enjoyed the opportunity to view stunning 13" x 19" reproductions of some of these photographs, which are still on display in the Doris Lewis Rare Book Room. Also popular was a display of photographs, company newsletters, and other archival material from the Dominion Tire plant, today AirBoss Rubber Compounding on Glasgow Street in Kitchener, which are currently on display in the department’s display cases.
The department’s online Doors Open exhibit continues to be of interest to the local community and already has close to 1,000 views. Staff are hoping it will be as popular as last year’s “Closed Doors” exhibit, which has had 8,000 views since launching last September.
For more information, contact:
Archivist, Special Collections
Ext. 35754
Archivist, Special Collections
Ext. 32445
University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883
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