Curious about what rare books have to do with today’s world?

This is not only about old books — it’s about our shared culture, the craftsmanship of the past, the stories that live on all around us and are more present in our daily lives than you might think. No background needed, just an open mind. This hands-on workshop invites you to rediscover the history hidden in plain sight. 

The workshop is designed for librarians, faculty, and graduate students in Information and Media Studies, Visual Arts, History, Languages and Cultures, Classics; for book collectors, restorers, supporters of culture and heritage, and for art industry in large.  

What You’ll Discover:

• How antique books were made—and why that still matters.

• The ways historical bookmaking skills shape modern life—often without us noticing

• How calligraphy from 14th-century manuscripts still shapes our design decisions today

• What do we lose or gain when we switch from ink to pixels? 

And most importantly: 

• How rare collections are preserved, represented, and accessed today

• What’s hidden in Canadian rare books collections—and how you can uncover it

• How you can retrieve and access such rare and antique books 

• Ways to engage creatively with historical materials and techniques

And more…

The goal is to raise awareness of these collections and their significance.

Such collections originate from across the globe — Italy, Germany, Greece, England, France, India, Arab states, Slavic nations, and beyond. They represent not only Canada’s multicultural heritage but also the history of the countries of their origin, making them an invaluable resource for education, research, and creative work. Yet today, no one knows they exist except a handful of experts. While dedicated stewards have done what they can with limited means, these treasures remain hidden from the world. 

Across Canada, rare book collections are being lost:

📚 Thousands of volumes are listed with only minimal metadata (Author, Title, Year)

📚 Historic items — some over 300-500 years old — sit miscatalogued and underrepresented

And yet these books matter deeply. They reveal:

📚 How we migrated, printed, traded, taught, worshipped, and imagined

📚 The beauty of hand-bound, hand-illuminated, hand-printed, human-crafted knowledge

They exist in silence, with little public awareness or access.

The project we are developing aims to change that—by creating a unified, user-friendly interface—an open-access educational platform built from stories, craft, and heritage, where people can explore these rare books in a visually rich and educational way. This educational platform brings together rare and historical books held across Canada. It’s designed for scholars, students in humanities, artists, educators, for art industry in large, and just curious members of the public.

We received letters of support from 12 Canadian university libraries, all of which have committed access to their rare materials affirming their interest and need for the initiative – even though they are unable to fund it themselves. 

At the end of the workshop, participants will be invited to become partners in the national project through a variety of opportunities—including volunteering, purchasing art gifts created to support the project, and engaging in other forms of involvement. 

❗ You can change the life of rare collections held across Canada by participating in this workshop and helping to popularize this event as widely as possible.