The collection consists of seven volumes of Elliott's personal diaries, which were bound together, at his own expense, after their completion. These diaries cover the five-year period that Elliott spent serving overseas, primarily in England. The contents of the journals include handwritten entries, sketches and watercolours that were either executed in the pages of the diary or pasted in, and photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, playbills, menus and other paraphernalia that were also pasted into the diary. These serve to document both the development of the war and Elliott's personal experiences. The diaries are generally in chronological order although there are places, particularly in the last three volumes, where the diaries have been bound out of sequence.

The fonds also contains several folio sheets of photographs and clippings regarding Elliott's career.

The collection consists of a selection of records reflecting Sir Arthur Currie's tenure as Principal of McGill University from 1920 to 1933. His administration was marked by the establishment of the Faculty of Music, the School for Graduate Nurses, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Constructed during this period were Moyse Hall, the Roddick Gates, a Biology Building (now the F. Cyril James Administration Building), and additions to Royal Victoria College and Redpath Library. Currie died in office on 30 November 1933. His records form a part of the McGill University's executive and administrative records, RG2: Office of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor. The Principal is the academic head and chief administrative officer of the University. Under the original Charter of 1821, the Principal constituted with the Board of Governors and the Fellows (now the Senate) a body politic and corporate. Later amendments to the Charter and changes in the University statutes have not significantly altered the position of Principal. Ex officio, by virtue of his office, the Principal is also Vice-Chancellor of the University, a member of the Board of Governors and Chairman of the Senate. Frequently, it has been the Principal's vision and personality which have determined the course of McGill's development; therefore, the records not only document the administrative activities of the office, but also often reflect the character of the whole institution. Currie's records fall more or less into the three general series: external correspondence, internal administration and academic matters.

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.

The fonds consists of a scrapbook containing photos, ephemera, and clippings related to the McGill graduates athletic club, Winter Carnival, and copies of the McGill News, approximately 1947. In addition, there is a photograph of Convocation (May 22, 1946), a cardigan sweater and a MOC patch.

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.

Collection includes a scrapbook and a file of memorabilia of Dr. Anderson and his family, 1894-1952. It contains letters, menus, programmes, certificates, a manuscript of a poem, a contract to purchase, ferrotypes, and many newspaper clippings.

The collection was formed by the Canadian puppeteer Rosalynde Osborne Stearn as a comprehensive library on the puppet theatre with representative examples of puppets characteristic of different periods and countries. It includes some 2714 books and periodicals from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries on the puppet theatre in various European languages as well as scripts for puppet plays. The collection contains 171 puppets from Europe, Asia (including shadow puppets), and the Americas, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries. Also included are toy theatres, theatrical portraits, paintings, prints and posters.

Collection contains primarily of 9 photograph albums containing 457 silver print photographs, and 4 printed items. It also includes records relating to Canadian railways and an export catalogue from the Canadian Car and Foundry Company.

Collection consists of correspondence from J.W.A. Hickson between 1912 and 1956.

The collection consists of written correspondence between Dr. Clarence B. Farrar and Dr. Franklin G. Ebaugh concerning reproductive rights for victims of rape in relation to the case of a Denver woman who was the victim of rape in 1955. The woman ended up giving birth to a child after she was denied an abortion by doctors and lawyers. The collection also includes a three-page editorial titled "Legal Abortions" that cites Chapter 40, Article 2, Section 23 of the Colorado Revised Statutes 1953.