The collections including here were orginally donated to the Phonothèque québécoise by Michel Décarie, Maryvonne Kendergian (Kendergi), Réal La Rochelle, Robert Daudelin, Raymond Gervais, Nicole Guilleret and Philippe Trolliet.

A history of the collections and information about the donors can be viewed here: https://web.archive.org/web/20191203205045/http://www.phonotheque.org/Inventaires/CollectionsPhono-Inv.html

Collection consists of 57 illustrations of birds, eggs, snakes, and plants by James Forbes chiefly to illustrate his work "Oriental Memoirs," published in four volumes between 1813 and 1815. The majority of the illustrations are either engraved or hand-drawn and then coloured, and have been cut out and mounted on paper. In many cases, a background has been drawn in and coloured or partially coloured. Approximately thirty of the images depict tropical birds, many from the Indian subcontinent, as well as some from Brazil and Australia. A number of these drawings also feature insects, particularly butterflies, and trees and flowers. Fifteen drawings depict bird eggs, including many of forest birds. The images generally contain captions by Forbes or a contemporary, identifying the subject of the drawing. Some birds are unidentified. Numerous drawings also contain species identifications or annotations in pencil by Henry Mousely, librarian of the Blacker Wood Library at McGill University during the 1920s and 1930s. These drawings are tentatively dated to approximately 1811. A note on one drawing indicates that it was originally based on drawings created during Forbes's voyages during the 1780s, then recopied in 1811. Items 44 through 57 depict snakes and reptiles and are tentatively dated to between approximately 1811 and 1818, based on a small number of drawings which are signed and dated. Many of these drawings of snakes and reptiles feature as plates in Patrick Russell's "A Continuation of an Account of Indian Serpents: Containing Descriptions and Figures, from Specimens and Drawings" (1801).

The collection consists of autographed signed letters from multiple senders, representing authors, artists, politicians, and other figures from Canada and Europe. The letters were accumulated by the Rare Books and Special Collections unit of the McGill Library over many years and assembled into the collection.

Collection consists of two commercial documents bound together that record the exchange of goods between John Taylor of Queensferry, Scotland, and William Taylor of Montreal. The first document is a one-page list of unsold goods, entitled "List of goods on Mr Wm Taylors [sic] hands remaining unsold as per account sales, sent 11th October 1787 - tho' shipt per the Elizabeth, A. Syme April 1786." It lists a variety of goods, including fabrics, horse tack, carpet, and beer, along with their values. The second document is an inventory of a shipment, entitled "Invoice of a cargo of goods sent per the Elizabeth, Captn A. Syme, to be sold on my account by Mr William Taylor, Merchant Montreal, Queensferry, March 16, 1787." The invoice lists goods - such as fabrics, accessories, tools, household goods, beer and wine, and sugar - as well as insurance, carriage, and customhouse fees.

Two general orders of the British Army's Forces in North America that are related to two fires that occurred in Quebec City on 28 May 1945 and 28 June 1845. The general orders contain reports detailing the sequence of events leading up to and during the fires, as well as the actions of the soldiers fighting the fires, and the damaged caused by the flames. The orders also include messages of thanks to the soldiers and their commanding officers from community leaders. Major-General James A. Hope was in command of the soldiers at Quebec City and submitted the reports to the Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Wellington.

This fonds contains records created by Robertson Masson & Co. as part of their work as merchants between 1835 and 1844. Robertson Masson & Co. were based in Montreal and served clients in Ontario, Quebec, and in the northeastern United States.

Records in this fonds are arranged chronologically, and are divided into files based on the year of their creation. The fonds consists primarily of business correspondence that includes information about accounts and orders, as well as financial records such as bills, receipts, and statements of account.

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

The collection documents the involvement of McGill faculty, students, alumni, and staff during the Second World War. It contains information on 5568 men and women on active service, including 295 women. It also provides information on the 298 dead, 52 prisoners of war, and 629 recipients of medals.

The greater portion consists of folders, index cards, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and photographs of individual soldiers and civilians. Index cards, documents and photographs were created and accumulated by Fetherstonhaugh and placed in alphabetical order within specific categories. The collection contains four distinct series: index cards; textual documents, including newspaper clippings; correspondence and articles arranged by subject; and photographs. The first series contains subseries reflecting Fetherstonhaugh’s original subdivision categories.

The index cards are arranged in the following groupings:

-Subversive activities
-Killed
-Prisoners of war
-University staff
-Macdonald College
-Army course
-COTC
-US
-General list A-H
-General list I-Mc
-General list M-Z
-Returned from active service
-Photos in extension file
-Photos on loan
-Women
-Civil

Other files in the collection include correspondence and newspaper clippings arranged by particular subjects; correspondence and newspaper clippings concerning the McGill War Memorial Campaign, 1947-1949; Fetherstonhaugh's account book of income and expenditures, and some vouchers, 1942-1946; McGill News articles, 1942-1946; correspondence, memoranda, invoices, reviews, and newspaper clippings, 1947-1948, concerning the book McGill University at War, 1914-1918; 1939-1945.

Fonds consists of correspondence, exhibition and performance files, film and video files, lectures and writings, teaching files, drawings, designs, posters, ephemera and clippings, primarily from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The fonds documents Canadian poet and novelist Steven Heighton’s literary career through correspondence with writers and editors as well as material documenting his writing activities. The records contain his literary and professional correspondence between 1994-1995 and 2001-2010, including extensive correspndence with correspondents such as Al Purdy, John Metcalfe, David Helwig, Michael Redhill, George Elliott Clarke, and Judith Cowan . There are also notes, manuscripts, research materials, drafts, and reviews for the following works: The address book (2004), “The stages of J. Gordon Whitehead” (short story, 2002), Afterlands (2005), Patient frame (2010), Every lost country (2010), as well as chapbooks, letterpress books, and essays. There are also reviews for other literary works as well as documents relating to Heighton's writer-in-resident positions.