Fonds and Collections

RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND ARCHIVES

Records Management and Archives is the sole agency that collects, organizes, processes, preserves, and as appropriate, provides access to the historical archives of Concordia University and its two founding institutions, Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, as well as private archives of individuals or institutions connected with Concordia University. This documentation is the institutional memory of the University and its two founding institutions. Records become part of the Historical Archives when they are no longer normally required for the administrative functioning of a department or of the University. These records are kept in perpetuity because they document the activity or policy of a single unit, an individual, or of the University as a whole.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Special Collections at Concordia University Library is composed of rare books and periodicals, archival materials, maps, photographs, and other items that require special handling and preservation because of their rarity, fragility, unusual format, uniqueness, artistic value, and cultural significance.

Special Collections constitutes a rich and diverse research collection and is a valuable resource to students and scholars within Concordia University and beyond. Our primary holdings are in the humanities and social sciences, but our collections contain items of interest to researchers in various disciplines. Presently, Special Collections is comprised of over 220 archival fonds and collections, and thousands of unique and rare items within the following thematic areas:

  1. Canadian, Quebec, and Montreal history
  2. Quebec poetry and spoken word
  3. Artists’ books and the art of the book
  4. Canadian literature
  5. Community and citizen action in Quebec
  6. Communication studies
  7. Counterculture and avant-garde cultural production in Quebec
  8. Working life and conditions in anglophone Montreal
  9. English-speaking Black community organizations in Montreal
  10. Black history in Quebec
  11. The Holocaust (including the history of anti-Semitism) and genocide
  12. Improvised music in Quebec
  13. Irish in Quebec
  14. Irish literature and history
  15. Jazz and nightlife in Quebec
  16. Journalism and documentary film
  17. LGBTQ+ literature
  18. Political science
  19. Radio dramas
  20. Theatre and cinema
  21. Visual Arts and photography