The Vancouver Women in Focus Society fonds reflect their activities in video production and distribution, gallery exhibitions, activism and lobbying, community engagement, and research. Materials include correspondence, office files, newsletters, grant applications, sales and rental records, legal documents, catalogues and bibliographies, clippings, posters and flyers, meeting minutes, books, newspaper clippings, and financial records. The fonds also contains several non-WIF records relating to feminist and women’s issues, general art and film, as well as local and federal politics that reflects the context of the time and place in which Women in Focus were operating.

Records relating to the first series, the Administrative series, includes files dealing with the maintenance and upkeep of the society such as: meeting minutes, sales and rental agreements, artist contracts, artist resumes, notes, lease information, WIF newsletters, and legal and court documents. The series also consists of two subseries: Financial and Correspondence.

Records relating to the second series, the Production and Distribution series, include files dealing the Women in Focus Society’s production and distribution of feminist video and film. Production records include: meetings and records from the production committee; files relating to various individual productions; and publicity for WIF productions. Distribution records include: distribution statistics; catalogues; distribution information and research; and distribution correspondences.

Records relating to the third series, the Gallery series, include files dealing with the Women in Focus Society’s art gallery events. Gallery records include: records relating to the gallery committee; artist submissions; publicity for gallery shows; research into potential gallery shows; gallery guides; information relating to specific shows; and gallery sign in books.

Records relating to the fourth series, the Events series, include files dealing with the Women in Focus Society’s various events that they hosted or participated in. Event records include: publicity for events; project budgets and logistics research; correspondences and press releases about events; documents relating to workshops; research relating to participating in other events. Many records in the Events series relate to project-specific grant applications in the Administrative series.

Records relating to the fifth series, the Resources and Reference series, include files dealing with the Women in Focus Society’s research into related organizations and various of topics of interest. Records related to other organizations include: publicity for non-WIF productions; newsletters from other organizations; and artist profiles. Records relating to topics of interest cover political and social issues as they relate to women and/or art. These records range from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. These files include: government publications; magazines; newsletters; newspapers; zines; pamphlets; and photocopies of books.

This series contains records relating to the Women in Focus Society’s research topics, such as information about artists, other organizations, and subjects of interest. Records relating to artists consist of artists profiles, including: artists’ resumes, publicity, newspaper and magazine clippings, and gallery show guides.

Records relating to other organizations cover topics such as: film festivals; art and theatre groups; women’s groups; concerts; lectures and readings; activism and lobbying; as well as various art shows. These records include: publicity; newsletters; correspondences; gallery guides; posters; and meeting minutes.

Records relating to subjects of interest include the Women in Focus print library and the Women in Focus subject files, which contain materials relating to various topics. Topics include: sexual orientation; pornography; health; sexual harassment; women in prison; family violence; sexual assault with a special emphasis on rape; women in history; women and politics; women’s labour; women internationally; women in science; feminist theory; sociology; education; and women in media. These materials range from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. These files include: government publications; magazines; independent zines; newsletters from local organizations; newspapers; pamphlets, and photocopies of books.

This subseries contains records of the incoming, outgoing, and internal correspondences of the Vancouver Women in Focus Society. Incoming correspondences came from a number of places, including other feminist, film, and/or art organizations in Vancouver, Canada, and internationally. Incoming correspondences include: tape and catalogue requests; letters from other organizations; letters from artists; invitations to participate in events or special projects; bulletins from organizations that Women in Focus was a member of; and letters of support.

Women in Focus also often kept copies of the mail they sent out, including: letters to politicians and government branches; WIF press releases about upcoming projects and events; letters to members about the status of the society; and responses to incoming mail. Women in Focus was also involved in lobbying efforts relating to issues such as censorship and representations of women in pornography. These lobbying efforts frequently resulted in letter campaigns which are included in the Correspondence series.

Internal correspondences pertain mostly to the status of Women in Focus, such as firing and hiring or changes to the Board of Directors and other committees. There are further correspondences throughout the fonds as they relate to different functions.

This series contains records relating to the Vancouver Women in Focus Society's administrative functions including the society's day to day management and maintenance. These records consist of: minutes from the annual general meetings, the board of directors meetings, and smaller committee meetings; equipment rental agreements; contracts with artists, producers, and directors; resumes from artists, producers, and directors; building and lease information; graphic design templates; and information relating to events that the society took part in. Additionally, this series contains records relating to the production of the Women in Focus Society’s member newsletter, 'Focus.' Records include: drafts of the newsletter contents; blueprint drafts of the newsletter layouts, and finished copies of the newsletter. The newsletters highlight the society’s calendar of events, productions, workshops, committee news, and membership news. Finally, the administrative series contains several legal documents relating to the various court case disputes that the society was involved in. This series further contains two subseries: the Financial series and the Correspondence series.

This series contains records relating to the Women in Focus Society’s events that they hosted or participated in, such as poetry readings, films screenings, film festivals, concerts, symposiums, and concerts. Events records consist of: publicity for events including pamphlets, flyers, press releases, and posters; newspaper and magazine clippings of reviews; correspondences with other organizations; project budgets; and research about possible events. This series also contains records relating to WIFs involvement in other events including publicity, schedules, and correspondences. Records relating to workshops include: research; schedules; itinerary; and questionnaires for workshops attendees. Many records in the Events series relate to project-specific grant applications in the Administrative series.

This subseries contains records relating to the financial management and upkeep of the Women in Focus Society and its projects. Records include: invoices for video and equipment rentals; invoices for art sales; ledger books; grant applications to governmental and private programs; project budgets; yearly financial summaries; tax audits; and fundraising applications. Many grant applications relate to WIF’s projects and events that are present throughout the fonds.

This series contains records relating to the Women in Focus Society’s efforts to produce and distribute feminist video and film. Production records include: meeting minutes, documents, and information relating to the production committee; subject files relating to various individual productions; and publicity for WIF productions, including pamphlets, leaflets, and newspaper and magazine clippings of advertisements and reviews.

Distribution records include: monthly and yearly distribution statistics; Women in Focus film catalogues, catalogue updates, and inventory lists; shipping records; and distribution correspondences. Distribution records also contain research and information about films that Women in Focus sought to distribute, including: newspaper clippings of reviews; catalogues of other organizations; artist profiles including producers and directors; distribution questionnaires; and correspondences with feminist film distributors from other countries.