McGill Libraries
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
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H3A 0C9
Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
McGill University Archives Collection
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on contents.
Level of description
Collection
Repository
Reference code
CA MUA MG 4319
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1800-2019 (Creation)
- Creator
- McGill University Archives
Physical description area
Physical description
6.1 linear metres of textual materials
0.5 linear metres of graphic materials
8 audio diskettes
5 vinyl records
2 VHS cassettes
107 objects
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The establishment of the McGill University Archives was announced in 1962 along with the appointment of McGill’s first University Archivist, Alan Ridge. The initiative toward an archives programme can be traced to an exchange of correspondence in the late 1950s between Professor John Irwin Cooper (Department of History) and then Principal F. Cyril James regarding "...the necessity for a survey of McGill University records...the establishment of University Archives..." and the need to " better appraise the University’s records." (MUA Records of the Principal RG 2 C246 F7401 "Archives and Records"). James’ announcement in 1962 recognizes the role of the records and archives for both administrative and historical purposes: "All kinds of documents have been created in the course of administering the university and they are all, technically, archives forming part of the University’s memory. Yet not all the papers which have survived merit indefinite retention and it is one of the Archivist’s functions to advise on the relative value of any classes of papers..."
(RG 2 C266 File 8023 "Administration Archives and Records")
Storage for the University Archives was first located in the stacks of the Redpath Library, with the office of the University Archivist located in the James Administration Building. In 1971 the University Archives moved to consolidated storage, access and administrative offices on the Ground Floor of the McLennan Library, where it remains today.
Custodial history
This collection was created by McGill University archivists in 2018 to gather a number of small collections and fonds into a single collection representing the activities of McGill University and its students and staff. Where material has been transferred to MG 4319 from another collection or fonds, the original fonds/collection number is stored as an alternate identifier. Fonds integrated into the collection include MG 3081, MG 3040, MG 1034, MG 2073, and others.
Scope and content
This collection is an artificial collection containing archival material related to McGill University. The material in this collection was created over time by McGill administration, staff, faculty, and students, between roughly 1800 and 2019. The subject of the material varies, but the collection generally documents the activities of the university and its staff, and the experiences of McGill students, both during their studies and after graduation.
The collection is arranged by form/genre into 7 series: 01 Documents, 02 Ephemera, 03 Scrapbooks and notebooks, 04 Graphic materials, 05 Audiovisual materials, 06 Textiles, 07 Artifacts. This arrangement was chosen because of the collection’s size, and because it was artificially created by the University’s archives by combining many smaller collections and fonds.
Information about the university bodies, student groups, or people represented in the collection is found in the statement of responsibility and scope and content fields at the file or item level.