Collection consists of one bound manuscript notebook softbound in a piece of brown leather. The notebook dates chiefly from 1841 and was produced in St. Armand by Philip Luke. The notebook contains a title page that has been lettered, illustrated, and coloured by hand: A Latin Translation / by Philip Luke. St. Armand. 1841. Commenced April 4th. The text within this first portion of the notebook is Aesop's Fables in English and Latin on facing pages. The first part of the manuscript ends with "13. Horse and Ass" (Latin is incomplete) and "32. Widow and Servants" (Latin text missing). The following leaf contains two medical recipes: "A cure for a felon or whitlow," refering to an abscess or infection of the fingertip and consisting of a paste made from egg yolk, honey, turpentine spirits, camphor, and flour, and "A reciet for the inflammatory rheumatism," involving a wine-based tonic containing three types of bark, horseradish, brandy, and tar water. Following another blank leaf, a partial letter is found dated 1839. Philip Luke's text begins again in the latter part of the manuscript with a second coloured title page: "Dialogues and Declamations." There is also one loose note laid in dated 1809, a receipt for 100$.

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.

Fonds consists of a manuscript of Mémoires de mathématique et de physique contenant un traité des épicycloïdes (published in Paris in 1674) and illustrated with mathematical diagrams.

Collection consists of programmes, guides, brochures, catalogues, and other ephemera from various world fairs and international exhibitions, including: Expo '86 Vancouver (1986), Expo '70 Osaka (1970), Exposition internationale in Paris (1937), Franco-British Exhibition (1908), Liverpool (1913), Exhibition universelle (1900), Latin-British Exhibition (1912), Canadian National Exhibition Toronto (1908), Golden Gate Exhibition (1939), New York World's Fair (1939), International Exhibition (1862), Irish International Exhibition (1907), New York Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations (1853), St. Louis World Fair (1904), Universal Exhibition Antwerp (1885), World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago (1893), International Exhibition of 1876 in Philadelphia (1876), Chicago World's Fair (1934), and British Empire Exhibition (1924). The collection also includes postcards for various other world fairs and international exhibitions, and some country publications.

Fonds consists chiefly of ephemera and correspondence relating to the work of wood engravers of Thomas and John Bewick of Newcastle, England, in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The ephemera found in series 1 includes various examples of fine printing, including proofs and printed keepsakes featuring Bewick engravings from printers such as Havilah Press and Anchor and Acorn Press. Series 2 contains correspondence, chiefly between Geraldine Cole and booksellers, as well as general correspondence with friends and acquaintances. Series 3 consists primarily of bookseller descriptions and clippings and excerpts from catalogues describing Bewick works (generally with the catalogue cover appended to a loose page on which a Bewick item appears). Some are with accompanying correspondence. Also included in this series are documents listing all of the items found in the Cole-Bewick Collection at McGill Library. Series 4 consists of other ephemera related to Bewick and his life, including short biographical pieces, postcards and products featuring Bewick engravings and watercolours, and articles and clippings. The last file in this series contains 4 original letters from Thomas Bewick to various correspondents, dating between 1819 to 1825. Series 5 contains a number of subject files relate to specific projects or organizations, including the Bewick Society.

The F.R. Scott Collection contains documents pertaining to many differents aspects of F.R. Scott's life and career. His early political involvement in CCF (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the political party at the origin of the creation of the federal New Democratic Party [NDP]) constitutes one series; his interest in poetry another one. Also some important legal actions are documented here about language and education rights in Quebec schools. The last series contains more personal items probably gathered for an official commemorative service: tributes, press clippings. Includes F.R. Scott's passport for Montreal's Expo 1967.

Fonds reflects L.-G. Papineau's daily work as an engineer between the years 1901 and 1905. Each volume is a daily diary, covering a year. Daily entries describe the activities of the people in his office. Most entries are technical: daily follow-ups on public works projects, including in the Montreal and Sorel harbours, Hochelaga, and on the Saint-Pierre River, meetings, finished tasks, and the absence of workers. Some are family related or comments on the news (for example, Queen Victoria's funeral on February 4th. 1901). Weather conditions and water levels are reported regularly, as it influences the pace of work on the construction sites.

Fonds consists of forty notebooks containing poetry and essays written by Sgt. James Denoon of the Royal Artillery. These are copies of his works dating back to 1832 made by him while at his residence, Maple Bank in Three Rivers, Quebec during roughly the period from 1883 to 1890 to pass on to his granddaughter, Bertha. Denoon’s notebooks contain sporadic notes and commentary giving further information on the subjects of his poems and on his activities. There is some repetition of material, but several notebooks containing duplicated works are found to differ and contain various revisions, in some cases with significant differences. An article written by Carmine Starnino in the Arc Poetry Magazine (Summer, 2007) about this group of notebooks after they were discovered in Westmount, Quebec, discusses the merits of Denoon’s poetry and how they fit into 19th-century society during a time when many newspapers were inserting the works of everyday “closet poets”. In an editorial statement soliciting amateur poetry, the Quebec Gazette which published at least a pair of Denoon’s works described their purpose: As may at once please the Fancy and instruct the Judgement.

Fonds consists of Vaughn's draft of Sir William Van Horne.

The fonds documents Sharon Thesen’s personal and professional life as a poet, editor, and professor from 1961 to 1989. All records in the fonds were collected by Thesen herself, and are primarily composed of correspondence, journals, and creative work. Most of the creative work is composed of drafts and edited versions of Thesen’s own poetry, essays, and articles, but also includes work sent to her for review. While most of the records are textual, there are a small number of pictures and postcards that were sent to and taken by Thesen, and are mostly of a personal nature. Notably, a large section of the fonds is made up of letters that include correspondence between other published and acclaimed authors such as Michael Ondaatje, Christopher Dewdney, Lola Lemire Tostevin, Ken Norris, Judith Fitzgerald, Phyllis Webb, Gerald Burns, and others. Lastly, the fonds also includes Thesen’s journals from the mid-60s to the mid-80s which contain her daily activities, her personal thoughts, as well as some of her creative work.
The fonds is arranged into three different series, Chronological Files, Journals, and Personal & Professional Records, as per the internal organization of the records. The main forms of these records are textual records, but also include graphic/photographic materials and mixed media. The records are arranged chronologically and intellectually within the series.