Collection contents include materials related to various lesbian and gay organizations in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as political activities in the New Democratic party, left-wing organizations, presses and radio. The Gay Liberation movement is widely represented, with Labour, Socialist and Marxist, Women’s Liberation, and First Nations organizations peppered throughout the collection. Significant attention is given to Gay Alliance Towards Equality, the John Damien, Gay Tide and Body Politic legal battles, and Anita Bryant. There is also a significant presence of materials relating to CRFO Co-op Radio.

It was collected and donated by James Thomas, Founder of the Archives Collective. Significant donations were made to the Archives Collective by Randy Notte, a writer and gay advocate based out of Victoria and then Toronto and Vancouver; these donations document his wide range of involvement in the NDP and Socialist groups throughout Canada, especially as they have to do with gay and lesbian rights at that time. Files 2-20 to 6-07 are related to Notte’s activities. The collection is divided into two series, Subject Files (1919-1989) and Archive Administration (1979-1989).

Collection includes materials in the form of letters; pamphlets; posters; political materials, including a number of NDP related items collected by Randy Notte; materials relating to the functions of Gay and Lesbian organizations in Vancouver, Victoria and globally; newspapers and newspaper clippings; and other ephemera.

The fonds consists of correspondence, journals, legal documents, financial documents, printed drawings, watercolours, an order book, and personal and other documents created and/or accumulated by Edward Belcher and other members of the Belcher family. The majority of the Edward Belcher material is related to his naval career.

The fonds reflects Mary Bishop’s interests in the social and political issues surrounding family planning, access to birth control, and population planning, primarily in Canada, as well as in south Asia and globally. She accumulated a large number of subject files to support her research in these areas on topics including human sexuality; abortion; fertility; welfare of children and families; and the influence of organized religion and Eugenics movements on birth control access. The fonds also reflects Bishop’s dedication to voluntary service with local, national, and international organizations focused on family and population planning. A small number of personal records are also included.

Bishop’s records are arranged into three series: population and family planning research; volunteer involvement; and personal files. The fonds consists primarily of newspaper clippings and research notes on topics of interest to Bishop; government and NGO reports and publications on population policy and family planning issues; pamphlets and flyers; and drafts of articles and speeches authored by Bishop. The fonds also includes recordings and transcripts of a series of interviews conducted by Bishop in the late 1970s with individuals relevant to the history of the birth control movement in Canada, including physicians, activists, religious leaders, couples, and individual women. Some organizational records for the various groups Bishop was part of (e.g., agendas, meeting minutes, annual reports, committee reports, correspondence, financial records) are also present in the fonds.

The fonds consists of a diary which dates from 1910 to 1912 and from 1935. Also included in the fonds is a journal of "Books Lent" (1915-1955) and a leaflet (1946) from the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company.