The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan: A Living Legacy

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

Brought out to commemorate Saskatchewan’s centennial, this magnificent
encyclopedia is a testimony to the vision and hard work of its corporate
author, the Canadian Plains Research Center. The articles are
informative; many are lavishly illustrated in full colour and, where
appropriate, accompanied by graphs, charts, maps, or tables. Best of
all, there are an astounding 2,300 articles, most with internal
cross-references and many with suggestions for further reading. On top
of this, there are 21 longer thematic essays (on such topics as the
Aboriginal peoples of Saskatchewan) and two sets of indexes, one
classifying articles by broad subject area and the other referencing
names that do not have their own entries.

There are a few flaws. While the entries are in correct alphabetic
order, not too many people would consider looking for “Post-secondary
education libraries” under that heading rather than under
“Libraries, post-secondary education.” Dr. Peter MacKinnon, current
president of the University of Saskatchewan is not profiled, and neither
is his University of Regina counterpart. And while the theme-based
essays are generally comprehensive, it is not clear why the one entitled
“Legislation in Saskatchewan” references only laws related to
families and labour. Finally, the book is sometimes needlessly
repetitive, as a comparison of the article on Athol Murray College of
Notre Dame and the one on Athol Murray himself will reveal, probably
because each was prepared by a separate author.

But while no encyclopedia can be perfect, this one comes pretty close.
Here, the curious can find out about nearly any conceivable topic
relating to the province. We learn, for example, that the first ATM
machine was set up in Saskatchewan, as was the first debit card. Readers
will be intrigued to learn that the province was the first in the world
to build a zero-effluent pulp mill at Meadow Lake. There is even an
article on hummingbirds, not to mention one on the economic structure of
Saskatchewan communities. The book is particularly strong in its focus
on Aboriginal peoples.