Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Graphic material
- Textual record
Parallel title
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Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the content of the collection
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
[194-]-[199-] (Creation)
- Creator
- Weeks Barker, Velma
Physical description area
Physical description
1 cm of textual records
35 photographs
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Velma Weeks Barker, born Velma Carmen Weeks, was born in Montreal in 1925. She graduated from Westmount High School and later studied at the Canadian Kindergarten Institute, graduating in 1945. In 1949 she graduated from Dr. Eliot's Nursery Training School of Boston, later known as the Eliot Pearson Department of Child Study of Tufts University. When she returned to Montreal she established a preschool program at the YMCA in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
Weeks Barker was Vice-President and Quebec representative to the Canadian Association for Young Children for several years and was a founder and lifetime member of the Nursery School Teachers of Greater Montreal. She is a highly regarded childhood educator and throughout her life, was a leader in the field of Early Childhood Education. In 1983, she received the Bothwell-Smith Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. In 1992, she received the Elks of Canada Academic Achievement Award. In 1993, she received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University for her contributions to the field (Doctor of Laws, honoris causa).
Weeks Barker attended the Negro Community Centre in Little Burgundy and Union United Church, where she married her husband Darnley Cecil Barker, with whom she had a son named Spencer. Velma Weeks Barker died in 2016.
Sources:
Clippings. Velma Weeks Barker collection. C039-001, folder 19. Concordia University Special Collections, Montreal, Canada
Jacobs, Ellen. (1993). Honorary degree citation – Velma Weeks Barker. Concordia University. https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/honorary-degree-recipients/1993/06/velma-weeks-barker.html
Custodial history
After Velma Weeks Barker’s death in 2016, documents were preserved by Elaine Minsky, friend and executor of the estate of Velma Weeks Barker. Minsky donated the material to Concordia University Library’s Special Collection on July 13, 2023.
Scope and content
The Velma Weeks Barker collection contains materials related to the life and contributions of Velma Weeks Barker.
This collection contains photographs and textual records. The personal photographs that comprise the collection show Weeks Barker and her family and include photographs taken in Little Burgundy and inside community spaces, including Union United Church. Many of the images were also taken in family spaces. The textual records include newspaper clippings referring to activities occurring at the Negro Community Centre and the Negro Theater Guild. This collection also contains materials related to her husband, Darnley Cecil Barker, including information about his participation in the Canadian Army and his immigration from Barbados to Canada to serve.
The Velma Weeks Barker collection includes the following items:
- 35 photographs
- 1 honorary degree certificate (Concordia University)
- 1 marriage certificate (Union United Church)
- 6 newspaper clippings
- 1 letter
It also includes the following material, which belonged to her husband Darnley Cecil Barker:
- 1 army discharge certificate
- 3 soldier's pay book
- 1 certificate of Canadian citizenship
- 1 tradesman qualifications certificate
- 1 discharge certificate from the Canadian Army
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Materials were donated on July 13, 2023, to Concordia University Library by Elaine Minsky, executor of the estate of Velma Weeks Barker, and arrived at the Library on deposit on May 23, 2023.
Arrangement
Material has been arranged in the order of receipt.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
No restrictions.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Use of material in publications cannot be done without permission of the copyright holder(s). Reproduction for research or private study may be permitted.
Finding aids
Finding-aid and box listing are available
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.