Northern Studies
Research Support Guides
This guide is intended to help you get started with your research on northern studies topics.
Northern Studies is by its very nature, interdisciplinary. You will need to consult other subject areas for comprehensive coverage of your topics such as Geosciences, Canadian Studies, and more. Northern Studies also incorporates a vast number of indigenous peoples including the Inuit, Métis, and a variety of First Nations communities (such as the Innu, Dene, and the Kluane, among others) further broadening scholarship in this field. A variety of resources to find First Nations communities in Canada exist throughout this guide. The most comprehensive listing is the Government of Canada First Nations Search page available below.
We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the Blackfoot and the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikuni, the Kainai, the Tsuu T’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations. I would also like to note that the University of Calgary is situated on land adjacent to where the Bow River meets the Elbow River, and that the traditional Blackfoot name of this place is “Mohkinstsis” which we now call the City of Calgary. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.
Libraries and Cultural Resources at the University of Calgary has a number of different library guides, databases, journals, and primary source collections to support Northern Studies Research. The following research guides may help narrow your subject field or provide additional support for your chosen topic:
- Government of Canada First Nations SearchList of First Nations communities in Canada by province
- Canadian Studies Library ResourcesThe purpose of this guide is to provide assistance to students in the discovery and exploration of resources in support of Canadian Studies courses and assignments. It includes some primary source databases, research tools, and tips on format searching
- GeoscienceThis library guide helps students doing research for geosciences find databases, journals, theses, and more.
- Indigenous Peoples and the LawAlthough interconnected, Indigenous Law and Aboriginal Law have differing perspectives. Indigenous law originates from Indigenous legal tradition and individual Indigenous societies. Aboriginal law in Canada equates to the law concerning Aboriginal peoples from legislatures and courts. This guide is meant to help those doing research on Indigenous peoples and the Law in Canada.
- Indigenous TopicsThis guide is designed to assist students with indigenous research pertaining most to the Southern Alberta and the Treaty 7 lands. Although there are diverse cultures in the Calgary area and Canada, this guide will focus on local groupings to the Calgary area while providing links to other parts of Canada.
Resources at the University of Calgary
The following links are open access, freely digitized collections from the various AINA and Northern collections at the University of Calgary.
- Glenbow Library and Archives This link opens in a new window
Libraries and Cultural Resources at the University of Calgary has the following service desks and resources to access primary source resources related to Northern Studies.
- Glenbow Western Research Centre
Glenbow Western Research Centre is located on the second floor of the Taylor Family Digital Library at the heart of the University of Calgary campus. The centre is the new access point for the university’s Archives and Special Collections including the remarkable Glenbow Library and Archive, the premiere collection that documents the history of Western Canada. - Nickle GalleriesThe nickle Galleries has a number of collections by northern artists and about the north. Use this link to search the collection- using the search term "Inuit Art" will locate many of the northern collections.
- Special CollectionsArchives and Special Collections have some unique historical documents and photographs pertaining to the North. Some of these are available as digital collections such as the Arctic Institute of North America Photographic Archives (linked above) and some available to be looked at in person such as the Canadian Royal Commission on Energy.
- Search ArchivesThis database provides access to the archival holdings of the Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary Archives, University of Calgary Special Collections, Glenbow Archives, and University of Calgary Archives at The Military Museums.
If you are not sure where to start or if you have questions about your research please feel free to use the library chat for additional support. The library chat is available on the library homepage