In 2007, Carrie Dickenson, a history doctoral candidate at McMaster University, became the first recipient of the Kent Haworth Archival Research Fellowship. Named in honour of York’s former University archivist, the fellowship supports doctoral students conducting research at York University Libraries’ Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections.
Often, as in the case of Dickenson, a scholar’s research topic demands he or she visit a particular archive in order to access a one-of-a-kind collection. The costs of these visits can quickly add up. “The fellowship helped me in paying for transportation costs and photocopying – I did a lot of photocopying,” says Dickenson. She visited the archives several times during the academic year and describes the ability to do so as “instrumental” in completing her work.
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Above: An archival photo (No. ASC00623) showing hippie movement leader David DePoe speaking with Yorkville’s youth outside Toronto City Hall, August 1967. It is one of the more than 1.25 million Toronto Telegram photos available through the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections. |
Dickenson’s PhD thesis – Engaging the Youth Cohort: Public Space, Liberal Government Officials and Young Canadians: Re-examining Youth Activism in English Speaking Canada, 1965-1982 – examines various youth organizations, focusing on those in Toronto and Vancouver. In the course of her research, she accessed several collections at the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections, including the Alan Clarke fonds, the Project Ossington fonds and the Toronto Telegram fonds, which includes more than 1.25 million photos from the defunct newspaper.
“We have a very strong body of materials for researching youth activism in the 1960s and 1970s,” says Michael Moir, University archivist & head, Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections. “Especially in reference to the hippie movement in Yorkville, and its leaders such as David DePoe.”
The Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections is home to a vast array of rare or unique materials, from medieval texts to 20th-century film.
Increased funding for fellowships to extend research support to more students in Canada and abroad is a priority for York University Libraries. Supporting such fellowships can allow young scholars to complete their degrees more quickly and deepen their contribution to knowledge.
For more information and to support the Kent Haworth Archival Research Fellowship, contact Tanling Yeung, chief development officer, libraries, York University Foundation at 416-650-8209, or tyeung@yorkfoundation.yorku.ca.
Gifts toward the Kent Haworth Archival Research Fellowship will support York to the Power of 50, the University’s 50th anniversary fundraising campaign – already at more than $167 million toward its $200-million goal.