Launch of Master's of Their Own Destiny: The Coady Story in Canada and Across the World
For the past year the Coady International Institute, the Angus L. MacDonald Library, StFX Archives, and the Faculty of Education have been working together on a project to digitize the documents from and tell the story of the Antigonish Movement, the StFX Extension Department and the Coady International Institute from the beginnings to the present day. The result is the digital collection Masters of Their Own Destiny: The Coady story in Canada and Across the World (http://coadyextension.stfx.ca).
The official launch of the collection occurs in Dennis Hall, Coady International Institute (former Somers Place) on Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 1:00 – 2:00 pm.
The digital collection includes more than 1,400 documents, newsletters, letters, reports, audio recordings, and photographs, some of which have never been publicly accessible before. You can listen to Dr. Moses Coady or Fr. Michael Gillis talk about the Antigonish Movement, hear a 1955 “Life in these Maritimes” radio program on loose stabling of dairy cattle, or watch the keynote speech of the 1997 Topshee Memorial Conference.
Some of the highlights of the digital collection are more than 800 photographs, including co-operatives and credit unions throughout the Maritimes; the complete run of The Extension Bulletin; Coady International Institute annual reports, newsletters, yearbooks and overseas reports from 1961 – present; Extension Department annual reports 1930-present, rural and industrial conferences, transcripts for radio broadcasts, letters, posters and promotional leaflets; Dr. Moses Coady’s personal papers including the original manuscript of Master’s of Their Own Destiny with editor’s comments, letters written while on speaking tours, and letters, telegrams and acknowledgements following his death in 1959. The majority of the materials came from the StFX Archives, augmented by material from the StFX Extension Department, Bethany Archives, Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Martha, Marie Michael Library, the Beaton Institute, CBU, The Casket Printing & Publishing Co. Ltd., The Chronicle Herald and CJFX Radio.
The teacher resource section is evolving with the assistance of the faculty and students of the St. F. X. Faculty of Education and will include detailed lesson plans including a wide variety of appropriate grade-level activities.
Visit http://coadyextension.stfx.ca.
Please contact Rita Campbell at (902) 867-5218 for more information.
