You can search all our private archival collections in our Archival Collections Catalogue.
When we say 'private', we don't mean the collections are for private use only. The Archive acquires private archival collections from various private individuals or groups. Alternatively, university or institutional records are created by McGill University and affiliated groups and transferred to the Archive.
Private archival collections at McGill generally have a McGill connection. For instance, they can be collections of McGill alumni, professors, or principals. The McGill Library has four different archival repositories.
An archival repository is a place that collects, preserves, and provides access to archival materials. An archival repository has a collecting mandate or interest that determines what kinds of collections they acquire. For instance, the Osler Library of Medicine collects materials related to the history of medicine and health science research. You can get more information on McGill's archival repositories by clicking on the above links.
NOTE: There are many connections between the collections in these repositories. For instance, although the Osler Library of Medicine holds archival collections related to the history of medicine, there are also related collections in the McGill University Archives. Thankfully you can search across all the archival repositories in our shared Archival Collections Catalogue.
You can search McGill University's institutional records in the Record Group File Title Database.
University or Institutional records are archival materials created by the institution for the activities of the institution.
McGill's institutional records are organized according to the executive or administrative office, faculty, service, or associated institution that created them. For instance, all records transferred to the McGill University Archives created by the Faculty of Education are organized together. In contrast, if a professor who worked for the Faculty of Education donated their archival collection to McGill, that collection would be considered a 'private' archival collection
This database provides descriptions of photographs in the McGill University Archives (MUA) collections. Note that this database is not comprehensive. There are several photographs described in the finding aids for different archival collections.
The McGill Student Publications
This is a digitized online collection of various McGill student publications. You can search the contents of the papers by selecting 'text contents' when you search.
This is a digitized online collection of McGill's yearbooks. The collection consists of McGill Downtown campus yearbooks from 1898-2000 and MacDonald Campus yearbooks from 1931-2000.
This is a digitized online collection of McGill's Course Calendars from 1856-1977. This is an ongoing digitization project and additional issues are added as they are digitized. You can also view physical copies of the calendars in the Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Room.
McGill Architectural Plans Database
This database provides descriptions of architectural drawings and some documentation related to McGill University buildings.
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