Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Museum Monday with Melissa
The 1st Blog post by our new Guest blogger, Melissa Doyle!
Getting Lost with Galloway
We sat down with CBC’s Matt Galloway to find out exactly what keeps bringing him back to the ROM
Q: Do you visit the museum often?
A: Yes, I have a couple of young kids. We come on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes if there’s a special event, but also sometimes we come just to wander around. It’s a great place to explore—one of the places we go to just spend time in the city. That’s a big thing for our family, to be out and about in Toronto as much as we can.
The Anatomy of a Book: Saving The Naturalist's Library
Books are remarkably durable. Fragments have survived from ancient times, while others have traversed the centuries in near perfect condition. One such example is the St Cuthbert Gospel from the 7th century, the earliest intact European book. But despite the robust structure of the book, the rigours of use and the passage of years cause many fall into disrepair and to require mending.
International Women's Day
In honour of International Women’s Day, the ROM Library and Archives highlights a number of the many women whose work at the ROM made advances in science, art, and museology.
Family Plan for March Break 2015!
For March Break this year we’ve decided to try to see as much of the world as we can without using our passports! First up? At least one visit to the ROM!
Luckily the ROM has a ton of special March Break programming that looks fun and family-friendly. The programming is running for the full week of the break, from Saturday March 14 to Sunday March 22. And most of the family-friendly stuff runs between 11AM and 4PM.
After talking it over, I’ve made a list of our “must sees”…
Toronto at the Turn of the (Last) Century
The City of Toronto was officially incorporated in 1834 and the second half of the 19th century was a period of great growth in the city. The population grew through railway and steamer links, which facilitated the arrival of immigrants at the port or the new Union Station building. The harbour was a key asset for trade and expansion, and was steadily under development.
Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?
Beginning on February 19th 2015 and ending on February 7th 2016 is the Year of the Sheep, or Goat, or Ram in the Chinese calendar. No other year of the Chinese lunar calendar seems to create quite so much confusion as the Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram. The confusion probably stems from the Chinese term for all of these characters: "Yang". Hence in Chinese, Year of the Yang works perfectly, there is no confusion, and you can use any member of the caprinae subfamily (which includes sheep and goats) to figurally represent the year. However, in English we are left with this confusion.
ROM Green Plant Herbarium Accessions STRATA
Recently, the ROM Green Plant Herbarium accessioned a copy of the artwork STRATA into its collection. This might seem unusual, since our herbarium is the depository for over half a million scientific specimens of green plants, from algae through mosses and liverworts to all the different kinds of “plants with plumbing.” Nevertheless, STRATA is intended to resemble a group of herbarium specimens in the way it was produced and in its format.
Arti Chandaria (1960-2015)
Arti Chandaria, long-time ROM friend, volunteer, and supporter passed away on Friday January 23, 2015. She lived each day with vigor and enthusiasm, never letting cancer impede her from a life of discovery. As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend, she inspired with her passion, determination and boundless curiosity. Arti taught us that life is measured not by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. Written by Deepali Dewan
"All manner of Sychenesses": Domestic Medical Books
The late winter months often coincide with cold and ‘flu season, a time when we look for remedies to help cure runny noses or coughs. Now we might turn to the internet for this kind of information, but in years past people would have consulted the household medical book for advice.
