Apollonia Steele  

Highlights

Led the University of Calgary Special Collections for 30 years, developing a creative arts archives powerhouse by acquiring and preserving the records of renowned authors and composers.

Education and Background 

Born in Austria, Apollonia Steele received a BA (Honours) from the University of Windsor in 1967, and a BLS from the University of Toronto's Library School in 1968.  

Professional Career 

Apollonia Steele began her career in the cataloguing department at the University of Western Ontario library (1968-1972); accepted a position to work at the University of Calgary library in 1972; and became the head of Special Collections in 1979. Under her leadership the University of Calgary acquired the archives of many literary authors of regional, national, and international renown, including Hugh MacLennan, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, Rudy Wiebe, and Robert Kroetsch. Under her direction, Special Collections also developed a collection of significant Canadian composers such as R. Murray Schafer, Srul Irving Glick, Alcides Lanza, and Norma Beecroft. Notable book collections acquired by the unit included the Marvin Orbach Collection of Contemporary Poetry and the Strens/Guy Recreational Mathematics Collection. She retired in 2009.  

Contributions to the Profession 

Steele has shared her expertise on archival practice and the holdings of her institution through numerous publications and presentations to conferences, university classes, and the archival community. As a member of the Archives Society of Alberta she has made valuable contributions in the areas of advocacy, providing online access to archival holdings, and electronic publishing.  

Honours, Awards and Recognition 

• Order of the University of Calgary, 2003 
• ACA Fellow, 2010 
• Archives Society of Alberta, Honourary Lifetime Member, n.d.  

Further Information 

• Archives Society of Alberta website, Honorary Members section https://archivesalberta.org/programs-services/awards/honourary-membership/ 

Photo source: https://archivesalberta.org/programs-services/awards/honourary-membership/ 

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