I had the privilege of working in the legislative library for my legislative placement. Sarah Goodyear and Erica Smith provided great insight into the functioning of the library and how to handle rare book materials. They provided me with a valuable project of reviewing and researching their rare books collection for books on the War of 1812 and Indigenous history. Throughout this experience, I learned extensively about Canada’s history, and the importance of historical preservation. I learned about prolific Canadian authors and their stories of Canada before it became the country we know today. The team taught me so much about the work that the library does and the database we can access to help in our MPP placements.
I was interested in the library because it was a rare opportunity to delve heavily into historical research and learn more about the important documents housed at Queen’s Park. I did not know if I would ever get the chance to work with rare books again, so I wanted to learn and read from some of the oldest books in the province during my placement.
I would like to thank Sarah and Erica for their guidance on the project and their help navigating the rare books collection. I was so grateful for this opportunity to work in the library and to have been welcomed in the space during my placement.
