The James Morrison papers are a collection of documents chiefly related to James Morrison's activities as a trader and merchant in Montreal. The papers also include some material related to Morrison's family, including legal documents and genealogical research conducted by his descendents. The documents in the James Morrison papers cover a period beginning 18 September 1651 and ending in approximately 1912, but focusing primarily on 1767 through 1800. The fonds represents Morrison's business dealings in Quebec, Ontario, the northern United States, and England, as well as his family life in Montreal and connections with relatives in Baltimore, Ontario, and Jamaica.

The papers are arranged into three series: 1 - Journals, 2 - Correspondence, and 3 - Financial and legal records. Documents in these series include a bound journal, correspondence, contracts, deeds of ownership, power of attorney, birth and marriage certificates, bills of sale, invoices, accounts, descriptions of political and military events, and genealogical notes.

Collections consists of theater, music, and dramatic productions, between 1911 and 1915, collected by T. Wesley Mills.

The World War I Clippings Collection consists of approximately 635 newspaper clippings and articles related to the First World War. Most of the clippings in this collection consist of daily reporting on troop movements and events that occurred during World War I, with some editorial and commentary pieces. Also included are clippings of maps, most from unidentified newspapers, and clipped recruitment ads. Specific topics include the sinking of the Lusitania, McGill participation in the war, the siege of Przemysl, Canadian troop deployments and casualties, and the Pope. The majority of the clippings come from the Montreal Gazette (approximately 140 clippings) and the Philadelphia Public Ledger (approximately 120 clippings). Around 50 clippings are from the The Evening Bulletin (Philadelphia) and a handful are from The Times (London). Also included are some articles from the D. A. W. War Tracts (numbers 5-7), Berlin, and the Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin (New York). The fonds also contains a copy of the War Gazetteer, compiled by Charles McD. Puckette and Carrington Weems, issued by the New York Evening Post in 1914. The earliest article appears to be reporting on England's declaration of war on Germany, dated 5 August 1914.

Letters and diaries, including typescript transcriptions with photographs, newspaper clippings and ephemera.

Collection includes a scrapbook created by Maude Lilian Bremner during her time in South Africa as a teacher to Boer children in refugee camps, as well as other related loose clippings and ephemera. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, postcards, and other ephemera tipped in. Many of the clippings are articles reprinting letters written home by Bremner and other volunteer teachers in her contingent. Collection also includes a published Memorandum respecting the engagement of teachers for the refugee camps in South Africa.

Collection consists of three albums containing photographs taken at Grenfell Mission and one framed photograph. Albums feature many photographs of St. Anthony and the region, its inhabitants, the medical staff at the Grenfell Mission, and activities such as dogsledding.

Collection consists chiefly of an album of photographs and clippings compiled by Cecile (Burroughs) Masson. Captions date the photographs to between 1915 and 1940, with one earlier photograph from 1883 that depicts Cecile and Rodrigue Masson's wedding. Many of the personal photographs depict members of the Masson family taken in Terrebonne, Quebec (where the Masson family home was located), in Ottawa, and during travels to Italy, London, the south of France. There are 28 leaves of full page plates of travel photographs from France, Italy, and Africa. Also included in the album are postcards and newspaper clippings. One series of postcards depicts architecture in Terrebonne, Quebec. The clippings include a letter to the editor written by L. R. Masson (Mrs. L. A. Globensky) and published in the Montreal Star, 1939. Other clippings relate to the S-Plan, a bombing campaign by the Ireland Republic Army, in 1939, as well as the British royal family. The album is half bound in faux black morocco and pebbled cloth boards with the initials C. M. stamped in gilt on the front cover. A caption at the head of the second leaf reads "This album is for mother from Grace", with "mother" crossed out. An inscription on the first leaf reads "This is for my dear daughter Cecile. Many happy memories of the past - affectionately from Mother." The collection also includes two loose black and white photograph portraits, one of which is inscribed to Aunt Cecile.

This collection consists of letters written by Canadian soldiers serving in the Second World War, between 1943 and 1944. The letters were written to family members or romantic partners, while the soldiers were in training in England, or deployed in Europe. The collection also includes some letters written to the soldiers. Contents of the letters chiefly concern news from home and the daily life of soldiers.

The collection is divided into three series, one for each soldier. Series 1 contains correspondence between Robert C. Parsons and his wife, Peggy Parsons. Series 2 contains correspondence between Jack Mills and his mother, C.I. Mills, and brother, Bob Mills. Series 3 contains correspondence between A.V. "Mac" Cormack and his girlfriend Florence Morgan Graham, as well as a letter from Mac's roommate G.D. "Jerry" Royds, also to Florence.

The collection comprises more than 6,000 Canadian and non-Canadian bookplates. The Masson collection reflects the range and scope of the art of bookplate design, mirroring period styles and incorporating the owners’ personal tastes and pursuits. References to heraldry, literature, nature and art are common. The collection was created by Montrealer Philippe Masson (1911-1944) and includes both personal and institutional plates. The nearly 3,000 Canadian bookplates are arranged alphabetically. The rest of the bookplate collection is divided between armorial and non-armorial plates. This unique collection represents a wide range of book ownership reflecting institutions, book sellers, and individuals as well as over one hundred examples of bookplates from Canadian libraries. The chronological coverage dates to more than a century from the early nineteenth century and continuing to the beginning of the Second World War. Bookplate design is a minor yet notable form of graphic design. Bookplates reveal a great deal about our book-centered culture. For many institutions, bookplates possess an iconographic or emblematic value reflecting the values of the institution. As well, within an institutional setting, bookplates are often used to acknowledge individual collections, gifts and bequests. Finally, for the individual the bookplate is a powerful symbol of possession and a love of books. Among the Canadian bookplates, many well-known Canadian artists are represented in the Masson collection including J. E. H. MacDonald, his son Thoreau MacDonald, Jean-Paul Lemieux, and W. F. G. Godfrey.