Photograph of Hirshberg with a baby.

The fonds spans just over 100 years, and especially reflects student and community life at McGill University from 1906-2007. Although the Women’s Association's efforts were aimed at providing help and resources to McGill’s students and community, the Association’s members had their own ties to McGill through employment, scholarship, or family member’s scholarship. The Women’s Association’s social and financial contributions to McGill are documented in this fonds.

Most of the records are related to the administrative functions and social activities of the Women’s Association of McGill, which went through several name changes. The series consist of Administrative records, Special Events and Activities records, and Information and Historical Documentation records. Many of the administrative records (such as minute books) are organized by year and reflect institutional changes in the organization. Other series, such as special events and activities, include associational social events and philanthropy activities.

The Administrative records series consists of minutes, financial statements, and other documentation produced in the regular maintenance and functions of the association. Financial records include cash books, transaction records, treasurer’s reports, receipts, expense reports, and statements, which can be found for the Women’s Union (1914-45) as well as the Women Associates of McGill (up until 2007). Meeting minutes and official reports presented by or to the Executive Board span from 1906-2007, with a complete set of minute books from 1914-1955 (Women’s Union and Women’s Associates). Versions of bylaws, constitutions, and attempts at documenting the history of the Women’s Associates exist from 1906-2000 for both the Women’s Associates of McGill and subgroup Women’s Associates of MacDonald College (spanning 1969-1994).

The Special events and activities records series includes records that were produced in the organization of special events and recurring social activities outside of official meetings, such as wartime efforts, social teas, and scholarship funding. Newsletters and promotional material document special events such as the Book Fair (1974-1985), but can be found up until 2007 more generally. The correspondence between the Women’s Association and non-member McGill students found in some files also shows some particular functions of the Women’s Association; this includes letters from the McGill students who received scholarships and bursaries from the Association, as well as correspondence from undergraduate students enlisted in World War One thanking the Association for knitting projects and letters (1914-1920).

The Information and historical documentation records series includes photographic material, compilations of newspaper clippings, and other documents that were published by other sources but collected by the association for the purposes of documenting information about the association over time. The books containing newspaper clippings about the Women’s Association, presumably compiled by members, about their contributions and achievements (1944-1962, 1942-1984).