UBC Botanical Garden Archives & Multimedia Collections
Multimedia Collections
The UBC Botanical Garden maintains an extensive multimedia collection documenting plants, landscapes, and the Garden’s history.
Highlights include:
- Approximately 20,000 slides of cultivated and natural plants and landscapes
- Over 2,500 slides, negatives, and prints documenting the Garden’s development and programs
- Audio and video recordings featuring UBC Botanical Garden and its collections
Access:
Physical access is available by appointment only.
Please contact garden.libarchives@ubc.ca to make arrangements.
Archives
The UBC Botanical Garden Archives preserve the institutional records of the Garden and the Friends of the UBC Botanical Garden (FOGs), along with select materials from botanical researchers and staff.
Holdings include:
Textual Records
- UBC Botanical Garden — administrative records, garden development (including Nitobe Memorial Garden), the Plant Introduction Scheme of the Botanical Garden (PISBG), Davidsonia publication, and the Henry M. Eddie Plant Development Foundation.
- Botanical Researchers and Staff — personal and professional records of John Davidson, Roy L. Taylor, Bruce MacDonald, John Wesley Neill, and Gerald Straley.
- Friends of the Garden (FOGs) — annual reports, bylaws, and meeting minutes.
- Regional Botanists and Educators — materials from Vladimir Krajina and Bela Sivak.
Photographic Images
- Over 2,500 negatives, slides, and prints documenting Garden staff, programs, and events (mostly dating from the 1970s to the present).
Architectural Plans
- Plans related to UBCBG gardens and buildings (1955–present), including early drawings of campus gardens (1916) and original Nitobe Memorial Garden plans by Japanese landscape architect Professor K. Mori (late 1950s).
Non-Archival Materials
- Books, technical bulletins, periodicals, and Garden publications
- Artefacts such as a scale model of the Nitobe Memorial Garden Tea House and the seed collection of John Davidson, the Garden’s founder.
Nitobe Memorial Garden Archives & Library
Location
The Nitobe Memorial Garden (NMG) Archive is located in the Campbell Building Reading Room at UBC Botanical Garden.
Researchers may schedule appointments by calling 604.822.3928 or emailing garden.libarchives@ubc.ca.
Archive Overview
The Nitobe Memorial Garden Archive preserves materials about on the Garden’s history, design, and cultural significance. The collection includes photographs, plans, guestbooks, and records related to the garden’s creation, renovations, and ongoing interpretation.
Collection Highlights
Photographs & Drawings
- Historical and contemporary photos of the Garden (1960–1990s)
- Sketches from 1993 renovations
- Exhibition materials from the 1984 and 1994 events
- Lantern photographs, postcards, and slides
- Archival videos: The Nitobe Garden (1984)
- Framed photograph of Dr. Inazō Nitobe
Guestbooks
- Visitor guestbooks covering 1960–1999
Architectural Plans
- Original plans (1959–1960)
- Renovation plans (1992–1994)
Reference Materials
- Historical notes, biographies, timelines, and maps
- Publications, articles, and project notes on Nitobe Garden
- Files on philosophy, tea ceremony, and garden symbolism
Gate & Visitor Materials
- Multilingual handouts and guidebook materials
Miscellaneous
- Renovation records, program brochures, and symposium proceedings
- Magazine articles and mounted exhibition posters (1984)
- Miniature model of the Tea House
Audioguide Records
- Scripts and planning files in seven languages
- Interviews, notes, and digital backups (CDs and DVDs)
Reading Room (Library)
The UBC Botanical Garden Reading Room houses over 3,000 books and selections from 150+ magazines and journals, covering a broad range of plant and garden-related subjects.
Subjects Include
- Ecology and sustainability
- Ethnobotany and Indigenous plant knowledge
- Garden design and horticultural history
- Asian and Japanese gardens
- Native plants of British Columbia
- Plant identification and floras
- Botanical art and photography
Access:
- Borrowing privileges are available to Garden staff, volunteers, and CPR-affiliated researchers.
- Students, non-departmental researchers, and the public may use the collection on-site only.
Search the collection:
- Visit the UBC Library website
- Select Search Collections → Books and Media Catalogue
- Choose Archives, Bibliographies, Reading Rooms
- Select UBC Botanical Garden Library as your location
Rare Book Collections
The Rare Book Collections preserve antique and delicate works in botany and horticulture. These volumes highlight the intersection of science, art, and history in plant study.
Collection Highlights
- British Herbal by John Hill (1756)
- Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya by Joseph Dalton Hooker with hand-painted plates
- Early BC botanical works by John Davidson and Ernest P. Fewster
- Deluxe reprints of botanical art classics (e.g., Maria Sibylla Merian, Peter Kalm)
- Early editions by E.H. Wilson and Charles Darwin
Access to Holdings
The UBC Botanical Garden Archives (including Nitobe materials) are open by appointment on occasional weekdays.
To request materials or schedule a visit, contact:
garden.libarchives@ubc.ca | 604.822.3928
Index Seminum
The Index Seminum is UBC Botanical Garden’s bi-annual seed exchange catalogue, listing seeds collected from our living collections and from wild sources. It supports collaboration among botanical institutions worldwide by facilitating the exchange of plant material for collections-building, research, and plant conservation. Participation in the Index Seminum follows international standards and agreements that promote responsible sharing of plant genetic resources.
The list is published biennially and seeds are offered to other botanical gardens, arboreta, and similar scientific institutions.
Desiderata is currently being accepted
Contact us by emailing garden.indexseminum@ubc.ca. For more information, please email us.