Athabasca University Library

Athabasca University Library AU Library is dedicated to maintaining excellent service in supporting the information needs of AU Library users.

Happy TBT, This photo feels like it’s straight out of a spy novel with its dramatic fisheye effect. However, what’s occu...
06/18/2026

Happy TBT,

This photo feels like it’s straight out of a spy novel with its dramatic fisheye effect. However, what’s occurring was rather mundane by the standards of AU staff in the late 1970s. The man is operating an IBM System/360 Model 40, a mainframe computer that was first introduced in 1964. The 360 computer line was short-lived and discontinued in 1977.

Here’s a video all about the history of the IBM System/360 family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npgvV_-Nh60

Has your instructor asked you to use peer-reviewed sources? Or do you just want to know how to tell which sources are th...
06/16/2026

Has your instructor asked you to use peer-reviewed sources? Or do you just want to know how to tell which sources are the most reliable? Visit out Peer-Review Research Guide for more information! https://libguides.athabascau.ca/peer_review

Hey TBTer, June is National Indigenous History Month! This photograph of an ENGL 255 class was taken in 1981 at the Blue...
06/11/2026

Hey TBTer,

June is National Indigenous History Month!

This photograph of an ENGL 255 class was taken in 1981 at the Blue Quills Native Education Centre which has a long and interesting role in the history of education in Alberta.

The building was first opened in 1931 when the Blue Quills Indian Residential School was moved from Saddle Lake to the site on the Blue Quills First Nation Indian Reserve near St. Paul, Alberta. This federally sponsored Catholic residential school operated until 1969 when the government cancelled the church contract and assumed direct control as part of their plans to eventually close the school and migrate Indigenous students into the provincial system. This move was met with great resistance by the Saddle Lake community who advocated for the building to continue operating as a school but under Indigenous administration. Their opposition culminated in a peaceful occupation and protest at the building in the summer of 1970.

As a result of the Saddle Lake community’s activism, Blue Quills Native Education Centre became the first fully Indigenous-controlled educational institute in Canada, and it officially opened in September 1971 as a grade school. The school was renamed the Blue Quills First Nations College in 1987 and transitioned to focus solely on post-secondary education in 1990. It continues to operate an independent post-secondary institution and was renamed the University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills in 2015.

In 1976 Athabasca University developed a relationship with Blue Quills, partnering with the school to offer instructor-delivered versions of home-study courses to students. The program was quickly expanded to include more courses of interest including Public Administration, Liberal Arts, and pre-university readiness courses, among others.

You can learn more about the history of Blue Quills in Tarisa Dawn Little’s article “Teaching It Our Way: Blue Quills and the Demand for Indigenous Educational Autonomy” found in “Bucking Conservatism” by Leon Crane Bear, Larry Hannant, and Karissa Robyn Patton (AU Press, 2021).
https://read.aupress.ca/read/bucking-conservatism/section/8dbe40b7-fac9-43de-886e-3302ac83ffbf

Happy convocation week to all our graduates and community!We will be open extended hours Thursday, June 11th and Friday,...
06/10/2026

Happy convocation week to all our graduates and community!
We will be open extended hours Thursday, June 11th and Friday, June 12th from 9:00am to 4:30pm, make sure to stop by and visit!

AU Library is offering its vinyl record collection to the community—free of charge!Visit us THIS WEEK ONLY to browse and...
06/09/2026

AU Library is offering its vinyl record collection to the community—free of charge!
Visit us THIS WEEK ONLY to browse and take home records. Items are available on a first come, first served basis.
Hours:
Tuesday–Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Thursday–Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (extended for convocation)

06/08/2026

Celebrate with AU Library Resources!
Come check out our display of Pride books this June!
Discover groups, books, podcasts and more with our Pride libguide:
https://libguides.athabascau.ca/pride/home

06/05/2026

The wait is over! 🔥
Our book carts just got a glow-up—new names, new look. Come check them out!

Thank you for submitting your ideas and voting on your favourite names!

Address

1 University Drive
Athabasca, AB
T9S3A3

Telephone

+18007889041

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