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Canadian Plains Studies Collections Policy: Statistical Summary

Statistical Summary

It is difficult to put an accurate statistical face on the plains collection as the general structure of the Library of Congress classification divides subjects geographically, placing material throughout the system. Certain subjects are easily identified, such as history (e.g. FC 3231-3250, Prairie history; FC 3351-3400, Manitoba history; FC 3501-3550, Saskatchewan history; FC 3651-3700, Alberta history; F 590.2-596.3, Great Plains history) and politics (JL 280-339, Prairie Provinces). For the majority of works, however, classification is not a useful measure. The following numbers are at best only indicative and should be viewed with caution. The figures for books are from a Subject Headings Keyword search of the library catalog; the figures for government publications are from a general Keyword search, limited to location Archer Government Publications.

Prairies/Plains

Area

Books

Government Publications

Total

 

 

 

 

Prairies

1334

 659

  1993

Great Plains

  825

 153

    978

 

 

 

 

Saskatchewan

8714

9033

17747

Alberta

4245

5066

   9311

Manitoba

3349

2905

   6255

 

 

 

 

Colorado

  376

  119

    495

Kansas

  364

    81

    445

Montana

  381

  109

    490

Nebraska 

  231

    54

    285

New Mexico

  462

    60

    522

North Dakota

  255

  113

    368

Oklahoma

  350

    35

    385

South Dakota

  243

    38

    281

Texas

  729

  103

    832

Wyoming

  181

    52

    233

   Total                                                                                                                                                                             40619

Not included in the above are two major microform sets:

Peel Collection on Microfiche (Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1976).
4408 titles, based on the 2nd ed. of Bruce Peel’s Bibliography of the Prairie Provinces to 1953 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1973). Approximately 7500 digitized books, in addition to a large number of other items, are available in Peel’s Prairie Provinces on the University of Alberta Libraries website.
 
Western Americana: Frontier History of the Trans-Mississippi West, 1550-1900 (New Haven, Research Publications).
Approximately 7000 titles, primarily personal narratives by participants in the frontier experience.