Exhibits

John Davis Barnett donated over 40,000 books and thousands of pamphlets, the largest single gift ever received by a Canadian library, to the University of Western Ontario in August 1918 and became Western's first librarian. The Barnett Legacy Collection includes digitized versions of books from Barnett's original donation.

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of nursing education at Western, with a Certificate in Public Health Nursing first being offered in 1920, and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing offered in 1924. This virtual exhibit includes both historical and contemporary materials from Western University's own Archives & Special Collections and the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing.

The purpose of this site is to introduce Fire Insurance Plans at Western Archives. It is our hope that this site will help to increase public’s awareness and knowledge of Fire Insurance Plans in general. More specifically, we try to make Western Archives’ extensive collection of Fire Insurance Plans known and accessible to the public.

Eldon House, located at 481 Ridout Street North, was built in 1834 for John Harris, Treasurer of the London District, and occupied by his family - his wife Amelia and their eight children; two more children were born in 1836 and 1839. It was first named Eldon Terrace, shortly thereafter changed to Eldon House.

The History of Medicine Collection virtual exhibit is intended to provide an overview of the archival collection housed at Western Archives. By examining the correspondence, certificates, and pictures, we are able to gain significant insight into the life and times of medical students and doctors at The University of Western Ontario in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In 1847, John Kinder Labatt went into partnership with Samuel Eccles and a brewery was born. The Labatt Heritage Collection: A Canadian Story exhibit provides an overview of the company’s history, from 1847-2017. The exhibit was created in partnership with the Labatt Brewing Company to celebrate their 170th anniversary.

Dubbed "Stars of the Town" by their creator, the late Rev. LeRoy (Roy) H. Massecar (1918-2003), the collection of 85 silent black and white 8mm films representing 88 Ontario locations depict small town life in the province between 1947 and 1949.

In 1870, the London Asylum for the Insane (later the London Psychiatric Hospital) opened its doors to patients from across southern Ontario. Combining archival photographs and oral interviews, this exhibit reconstructs the grounds and buildings of the London Psychiatric Hospital to bring the institution back to life.