HISTORY LESSON
A poetic history of marine engineering By Lisa Glandt
Librarian/Archivist, Vancouver Maritime Museum
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dmittedly, I did not know what to write for this month’s column. Usually I am inspired by a research query, new donation, or the discovery of a tucked away gem in our archival collection. So I searched my library database to see what types of publications we had on the subject of “marine engineering” to start my background research. Turns out we have quite a few actually — 182 publications that include marine engineering dictionaries, histories, manuals, handbooks, exams, and biographies from Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Japan. Some of these titles include Reed’s Useful Hints to Sea-Going Engineers: and How to Repair and Avoid “Breakdowns” — published in 1921 but with intentions still valid today! Not only does the 452-page publication contain
20 BC Shipping News May 2013
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“…the need for engineer officers of the highest professional attainments has never been greater...”