Skip to main content
Voices from the Footnotes

Voices from the Footnotes

By ROAAr, McGill University Library


Welcome to Voices from the Footnotes. Each episode we will explore some of the hidden histories at the McGill University Library and Archives, looking at places, people, and artifacts. The library and archival collections are rich and fascinating, but this series flows from the silences and absences that are also present. Join us as we explore the voices and stories from the Footnotes.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

Meet Lori

Voices from the FootnotesOct 01, 2021

00:00
08:02
Before and After Coronation – Rae Rambally

Before and After Coronation – Rae Rambally

So what happened after the fun and festivities of McGill's winter carnival were over? We hear from Rae Rambally, Carnival queen in 1958, about her experiences both before and after her time at McGill.

Explore More:
Credits

· Host & Editor: Jacquelyn Sundberg

· Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

· Transcription & Research: Labiba Faiza

Guests:

· Rae Rambally

Music

· Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0

· End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0

May 12, 202216:05
Life After Coronation - Dorothy Baxter, 1951

Life After Coronation - Dorothy Baxter, 1951

So what happened after the fun and festivities of McGill's winter carnival were over? We hear from Dorothy Baxter, Carnival queen in 1951, about her experiences after the pageant and her time at McGill.

Explore More:
Credits
  • Host & Editor: Jacquelyn Sundberg
  • Producer: Sheetal Lodhia
  • Transcription & Research: Labiba Faiza
Guests:
  • Dorothy Baxter Alexander
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0
Mar 07, 202210:18
Life After Coronation - Beryl Rapier 1949

Life After Coronation - Beryl Rapier 1949

So what happened after the fun and festivities of McGill's Winter Carnival were over? We hear from Beryl Rapier, Carnival Queen in 1949, about her experiences after the pageant and her time at McGill.

Explore More

Credits

  • Host & Editor: Jacquelyn Sundberg
  • Producer: Sheetal Lodhia
  • Transcription & Research: Labiba Faiza
Guests:
  • Beryl Rapier
  • Bradley Rapier
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0
Feb 28, 202210:36
Carnival Queens

Carnival Queens

This episode we speak with royalty, McGill royalty to be precise. Step back in time to 1949, 1951 and 1958, as Beryl Rapier, Dorothy Baxter and Rae Tucker Rambally bring us back to mid-century McGill Winter Carnival days. Relive their days as campus royalty. 

Explore Additional Content: 

Credits

· Host: Sheetal Lodhia

· Producer and Editor: Jacquelyn Sundberg

· Transcription & Research: Labiba Faiza

· Research Assistance: Michelle Macleod

Guests:

· Beryl Rapier

· Dorothy Baxter

· Rae Tucker Rambally

Music

· Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0

· Transitions:

o It’s Winter Carnival Time. Merry Martlets. Presented by the Graduates' Society of McGill University, the Merry Martlets appeared courtesy of the McGill Choral Society under the direction of Gifford Mitchell. Copyright McGill University.

o Hail Alma Mater. Presented by the Graduates' Society of McGill University, the Merry Martlets appeared courtesy of the McGill Choral Society under the direction of Gifford Mitchell. Copyright McGill University.

o Old Fashioned auto Piano, by Razzvio, Sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0

· End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0

Feb 08, 202251:36
Meet Anna

Meet Anna

A cataloguing librarian with a love for medieval manuscripts, archives, and Star Trek’s Beverly Crusher. Meet Anna Dysert in this week’s short episode.

Explore More
Credits

Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Host, Associate Producer, and Technical Assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Anna Dysert
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy-music by monkeyman535, Sourced from Freesound.org.
Dec 20, 202109:03
Generations Part 2

Generations Part 2

What has changed since the 1940s for Black students and staff at McGill? In part 2 of the Generations episode, we shift to more contemporary perspectives. We hear mostly from the daughters and learn about their experiences as former students and current staff at McGill. They discuss community, belonging, and safe spaces on campus. The episode also focuses on the fight for equity, and the institutional challenges/obstacles that come with it.

Explore More

Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Associate Producer and Technical Assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Prof. Emeritus Glyne Piggott
  • Adrienne Piggott, Associate director, Faculty Procurement, McGill Univeristy
  • Ron Williams
  • Brittany Williams, Manager, Student Affairs Office, McGill Faculty of Law.Note, at the time we spoke with Brittany, she was Acting Associate dean of admissions and recruitment for the Faculty of Law. She started her new position November first, 2021, read more about it here.
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • Transitions: Horn lilt 2 by contextcollapse, Sombre Piano by Luckylittleraven, Happy and Groovy by Tyops, all sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0
Dec 17, 202101:01:48
Meet Michelle

Meet Michelle

What does an assistant curator do? Find out this week as we meet Michelle Macleod, assistant curator at McGill’s Visual Arts Collection (VAC) and a PhD candidate in Art History. We learn about her love for the city and photographs, her current research on 19th-century illustrated journals, and the benefits of digitization during a pandemic.

Explore More
Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Associate Producer and Technical Assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Michelle Macleod
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy-music by monkeyman535, Sourced from Freesound.org.
Nov 26, 202109:34
Generations Part 1

Generations Part 1

What has changed since the 1940s for Black students and staff at McGill? In this episode, we talk with Beryl Dickinson-Dash (now Rapier) and two pairs of fathers and daughters who were students, faculty, or staff – or all of the above – at McGill. Hear about a lot of firsts and the unique challenges faced by Black students and staff in the first half of this two-part episode.

Further Reading
Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Research Assistance: Michelle Macleod

Guest:
  • Beryl Rapier
  • Bradley Rapier
  • Prof. Emeritus Glyne Piggott
  • Adrienne Piggott
  • Ron Williams
  • Brittany Williams
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • Transitions: Horn lilt 2 by contextcollapse, Sombre Piano by Luckylittleraven, Happy and Groovy by Tyops, all sourced from Freesound.org, CC BY 3.0
  • End credits: Happy-music, by monkeyman355, CC BY 3.0
Full Transcript - see the podcast website.
Nov 20, 202147:16
Meet Leah

Meet Leah

Singing in the stacks! In this episode we meet Leah Weitzner, a former student staff member at ROAAr and a talented singer. With a fascination for performance practice and an interest in music from between 1500 to 1700, Leah brought her skills, curiosity,and enthusiasm to ROAAr for the past three years.

Read more about Saints Alive, when Leah sang from a 500 year old manuscript with a group of other McGill singers.

Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Leah Weitzner
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy-music by monkeyman535, Sourced from Freesound.org.
Nov 15, 202111:36
Rencontrez Alexandre
Nov 05, 202107:09
Meet Nathalie

Meet Nathalie

Does your childhood library have a tragic story behind it? Nathalie Cooke’s does. We get to know the professor and associate dean of ROAAr in this episode, where she talks about her first library and her initial experience working with archives.

Read more about Duncan B.C.'s former Chinatown in this article.

Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Nathalie Cooke
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy and Groovy, by tyops, CC 3.0, Sourced from Freesound.org
Oct 29, 202106:33
Rencontrez Julien
Oct 22, 202108:16
Meet Jacquelyn

Meet Jacquelyn

Do you remember the smell of your first library? Jacquelyn Sundberg, the associate producer of Voices From the Footnotes, surely does! In this episode, she shares some childhood library-related anecdotes, what brought her to McGill, and how her love for stories led her to library and archival work. See photos on the ROAAr webpage.

Explore More Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guest:
  • Jacquelyn Sundberg
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy and Groovy, by tyops, CC 3.0, Sourced from Freesound.org
Oct 15, 202107:58
Finding Where We Belong; Indigenous Perspectives at McGill

Finding Where We Belong; Indigenous Perspectives at McGill

In this episode, current and former staff of McGill’s First Peoples’ House discuss the various hurdles faced by Indigenous students in higher education. Interviewees also share how staff and tailored programming provide much-needed support to students and help them build community, foster a sense of belonging, and achieve academic success. For today’s episode, we issue a trigger warning in that we discuss some sensitive issues pertaining to colonialism, mental health, and suicide.

Resources

Get connected with First Peoples' House at McGill : https://www.mcgill.ca/fph/

See the full transcript here

Today’s episode touched on issues of suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out:

  • Student Wellness Resources at McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/wellness-hub/
  • KeepmeSAFE – 24/7 crisis line and counselling service available to all McGill students free of charge. Call 1-844-451-9700 (phone)
  • Talk to your Faculty Advisor about a leave of absence. This is an option, and you can return to your studies at a later date.
Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Guests:
  • Paige Isaac
  • Allan Vicaire
  • Tanya Lalonde
Music
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • Sombre Piano, By LuckyLittleRaven, CC 3.0 , sourced from Freesound.org
  • End credits: Happy and Groovy, by tyops, CC 3.0, Sourced from Freesound.org
Full Transcript
Oct 08, 202134:21
Meet Lori
Oct 01, 202108:02
Meet Chris
Sep 24, 202107:44
Meet Adria
Sep 17, 202105:39
The Gault Nature Reserve

The Gault Nature Reserve

Did you know that McGill also owns some land in Mont St. Hilaire? It’s called the Gault Nature Reserve. This episode will focus on the beautiful land and waters of the Gault Reserve, what we know about its history based on McGill’s archives, and how it is used today especially by McGill’s First People’s House.


Explore Additional Content
Credits

Host & Producer: Sheetal Lodhia

Production and technical assistance: Jacquelyn Sundberg

Transcription: Labiba Faiza

Research Assistance: Michelle McLeod, Adria Seccareccia

Guests:
  • Adria Seccareccia
  • Paige Isaac
  • Allan Vicaire
  • Tanya Lalonde
Music:
  • Title song: Happy Sandbox, by Mativve, sourced from Freesound.org
  • Transitions: hejdå, by edtijo, CC0 1.0
  • End credits: Happy and Groovy, by tyops, CC 3.0, Sourced from Freesound.org

See the full transcript on our Website here: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/roaar/podcast-voices-footnotes#Gault-estate

Sep 09, 202135:48
Teaser - Voices From the Footnotes

Teaser - Voices From the Footnotes

Get a taste of what we talk about.

Aug 26, 202100:41