The Brunswickan and the UNB Archives

Link to Brunswickan Inventory (2025)

Since taking on the role of Editor-in-Chief, Joel Rumson of The Brunswickan, has championed the vision of preserving the newspaper’s extensive legacy. As Canada’s oldest official student publication, The Brunswickan holds a vital place in the cultural and intellectual history of the University of New Brunswick and the province it resides within. With an institutional presence spanning back to 1867, the need to secure decades of newspapers, board meeting minutes, and other historical materials became increasingly urgent.

In late 2024 and early 2025, this vision came to life through a formal collaboration with UNB Archives & Special Collections, located on the fifth floor of the Harriet Irving Library. Rumson coordinated closely with Christine Lovelace, Head of Archives, alongside Sass Bergen and Lucinda Ada Starkey, to facilitate the review, consolidation, and transfer of archival materials from The Brunswickan’s office in the Student Union Building (SUB).

Marked by mutual respect, open communication, and a shared commitment to heritage preservation, the collaboration unfolded over multiple visits. 

Rumson played a hands-on role—alongside the help of Thomas Lepper and Alicia Lowe—unlocking the space, preparing (very heavy) boxes, assisting with logistics, and ensuring smooth coordination. The Archives team, in turn, worked methodically to identify, assess, and collect three archival copies of each newspaper issue. When standard boxes ran out, they improvised by using The Brunswickan’s plastic “roughneck” bins. 

Reflecting on the experience, Rumson wrote via email:

“Through your collaborative efforts, I feel like we have made the impossible possible. I cannot express how much this means to myself and The Brunswickan.”

This partnership not only ensured the preservation of irreplaceable print material but also laid the foundation for future transfers—including CDs, Board of Directors minutes, and digital media.

UNB Archives and Special Collections Brunswickan Inventory:

• Issues Collected: 2,716
• Years Covered: 143
• Copy Counts: 2,620
• Duplicate Copies: 53

Brunswickan Magazines 1940 to 1997, is already digitally accessible via the Canadiana platform.  

UNB Archives & Special Collections: About Archives & Special Collections