Student-designed website traces history of Canada in the North

By Ruth Klinkhammer

When Adam Lajeunesse, a doctoral student in history, was searching through the thousands of photos in the electronic archives of the Arctic Institute of North America, he thought “what a fantastic resource.” But he also remembers thinking the vast collection should be more accessible to a wider audience.

So he devised a way to make it so.

The images, part of the university’s online photographic archives database, were taken during military, scientific and RCMP expeditions in the 20th century. But although the collection is searchable, it contains no detailed information about the excursions or the people involved.
Lajeunesse had used the site while working on his master’s degree, which focused on Canadian government policy in the Arctic during the Cold War.

“I liked the collection a lot. It’s a fantastic visual record. Basically it covers the origins of the Canadian government’s concerted involvement in the Arctic,” he says. However, to make the best use of the archives, researchers must know what they are looking for when they enter the site.

“I thought an interactive map section would be a way to make the huge collection accessible,” he says.

He pitched the idea to Benoit Beauchamp, executive director of the Institute, who liked the idea so much he contracted Lajeunesse to develop the website. The project was partially funded by Devon Canada and ATCO Frontec.

The resulting website organizes hundreds of photos into manageable chunks based on seven different expeditions. Lajeunesse also designed an interactive map system with clickable geographic points that take users to the photos associated with those points.

“I loved drawing lines on those maps because you could see exactly where the men were. It’s so visual.”

Content on the site is aimed at students at the high school or undergraduate level. But Lajeunesse says other researchers will find the information useful as well.

To visit the Arctic Institute’s Sovereignty, Defence and Discovery site, go to www.ucalgary.ca/arcticexpedition/.