IRVINE : UCI Library Receives Grant From Canada

The UC Irvine library received a $2,500 grant from the Canadian government Monday that will go toward expanding the university’s Canadian Studies collection.

Librarians plan to use the money to purchase books about Canadian trade, government and environmental issues.

Over the past year, the university purchased about $8,000 worth of Canada-related books, said Dan Tsang, UCI’s social sciences bibliographer. Most of the books deal with Canadian politics and current affairs and are meant to aid UCI faculty members and students in their research.

UCI researchers are studying a variety of Canadian subjects, from the country’s environmental and political scene to its transportation systems and urban design.

Tsang said the grant will go toward collecting material related to the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement and for purchasing Canadian government documents.

“We believe this is one way of encouraging people to study our country so that we can all be better informed to make decisions,” said Pamela Johnson, academic relations officer for the Canadian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

Johnson said this was the first time UCI received such a grant from Canada.

At a ceremony at UCI’s Main Library on Monday, Canadian officials also presented the university with a collection of Canadian literary books. Among the donated books was the novel “The English Patient” by Michael Ondaatje, which won the Governor General’s Literary Award, Canada’s top literary prize.