About the George Shepherd Library
The George Shepherd Library of the Western Development Museum is named after
George Shepherd, a pioneer homesteader who was also the curator of the museum
for more than 20 years.
Our main focus is to provide research services to the four Western Development
Museum (WDM) branches: Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, and Yorkton. Our
department also answers public inquiries.
The George Shepherd Library was created because there was a growing need to
preserve the rapidly disappearing historical materials that focus on
Saskatchewan agricultural and pioneer history. When artifacts were donated to
the museum, they were often accompanied by an operator’s manual or a handbook;
these resources eventually began to accumulate. The collected materials were
then organized, catalogued and placed in the library.
Today, the library contains over 3,200 reference books, more than 300 journal
titles with 27 active subscriptions, 6,000 photographs, slides and negatives,
over 20,000 agricultural manuals, parts lists, promotional materials, and mail order
catalogues as well as other print material of research value. The
collection is non-circulating, but is open to the public for research purposes.
We have a large collection of catalogues--Eaton's, Marshall-Wells, and Ashdowns
- full of information on clothes, toys, tools and equipment. We also have
brochures on Saskatchewan tourist attractions and literature extolling the
province's possibilities. These are only a few of the resources in our
Library. Contact us with your question; we may have the answer.
Celebrate Archives Week 2012!
A Treasure, the George Shepherd Library
Within the Curatorial Centre of the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon you
will find the George Shepherd Library. Named after a curator of the Museum in
its early years, the Library is filled with material on history, agricultural
machinery, tools and equipment, cars and trucks, clothes and jewellery, radios
and televisions, among other subjects. It is a reference non-lending library,
open Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Research staff will answer your
inquiries made in person, by phone, by fax, or by email. The Library is a
treasure trove of information—what question can we answer for you?
Agricultural Machinery Pamphlets
Advance-Rumely, J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co., Massey-Ferguson, Nichols &
Shepard, Minneapolis-Moline, Cockshutt, George White & Sons—these are some of
the companies represented in the Library’s collection of agricultural machinery
pamphlets. The largest single holding is International Harvester. Arranged
alphabetically by manufacturer’s name, this collection occupies 65 m of shelf
space. The earliest material dates to the 1860s. Included are sales brochures,
operators’ manuals, parts books, service manuals, and price lists; the
overwhelming majority are in English but we have some in other languages—French,
Spanish and German, for example. If you are trying to identify a plow, have a
question about a clutch on a tractor, want the specifications of a threshing
machine or combine, give us a call.
Automobile Pamphlets
The Library has a collection of automobile pamphlets, arranged alphabetically by
company name and, within company, chronologically by date of publication.
Companies represented include current manufacturers like Chrysler, General
Motors, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Volkswagen. Also represented are companies
that have disappeared like American Motors, Diamond T, Studebaker and Reo. There
are sale brochures, operators’ manuals, parts books, and service manuals.
Supplementing these pamphlets is other material produced for the automobile and
truck market, including carburetor manuals, gasket guides and accessory
catalogues. If you want information for a restoration or just what to know more
about a particular car, check with us; we may have what you need.
Books & Magazines
The Library began collecting books about 60 years ago. The strength of the book
collection is Saskatchewan local histories, the earliest of which date from the
1920s. We have reference books on dolls, furniture, fashion, the Canadian
military, railways, city directories (Regina and Saskatoon with a few from Moose
Jaw, Prince Albert, and Yorkton), cookbooks, aircraft, toys and dolls, musical
instruments, scientific instruments, harness equipment, barns, and Saskatchewan
history. The magazine collection contains current publications and ones that are
out of print. The holdings reflect the interests and work of the Museum,
including Prairie Forum, Saskatchewan History, Gas Engine Magazine, Nor’-West
Farmer, Motor in Canada, Canadian National Railways Magazine, Western Home
Monthly, and Chatelaine. As well as articles on various subjects, some of these
magazines contain advertisements that are a rich source of information.
Hardware Catalogues
If you would like to know the prices of various household, agricultural and
hardware items, take a look in the Ashdown’s and Marshall-Wells catalogues in
the Library. These two hardware companies were wholesalers based in Winnipeg and
their catalogues were found in local hardware stores in Saskatchewan. Their
catalogues illustrate and describe various products, as well as listing their
price. Recently Library staff reviewed each catalogue to determine its date.
Many of these hardware catalogues were expandable; as new products became
available and as prices changed, updated pages were inserted into the catalogue
to replace outdated pages. For most of the catalogues, the outdated pages were
left, so many of the catalogues cover a range of years. The Library holds ten
Ashdown’s catalogues, covering the years 1912 to 1968. There are thirteen
Marshall-Wells catalogues, ranging from 1910 to 1986.