The records relate primarily to McDonald's professional teaching, writing and research work and, to a much lesser extent, are records about his personal life. The course teaching materials include outlines and syllabi, lecture notes, class handouts, newspaper clippings, website printouts, and other materials used to develop course content. Records relating to McDonald's writing include typescript drafts, off-prints, handwritten notes, conference papers, and correspondence. The most extensive records relate to McDonald's research. They include newspaper clippings and other published items, copies of articles annotated by McDonald's, handwritten index cards with notes and citations, correspondence, and audio recordings of interviews, music and speeches. Finally, records related to awards and recognition received include curriculum vitae, certificates, correspondence and McDonald's Killam Teaching Award from 2000.

Fonds consists of the personal papers of John Norris, including family papers, correspondence of both a personal and professional nature, notes of academic articles, lecture and class notes, as well as several photographs of Norris and his family. Fonds has been organized into seven series: Correspondence series; Family series; Political Career series; Hannah Institute series, Research Materials and Publications series; Teaching series; and Photographs series. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order unless otherwise indicated.

Fonds consists almost entirely of textual materials created or acquired by Fritz Lehmann, in both his professional and personal capacities. The materials include research notes, lecture materials, course hand-outs, manuscripts of articles and book reviews, research papers written by students, correspondence, reports, newspaper and magazine clippings (original and photocopied), and research grant applications. Also included are a folder of tributes written after Lehmann's death, and some personal correspondence addressed to Joanna Lehmann.
The fonds is arranged in the following series: Lecture Materials, Indian railways Correspondence and Research, Course Materials, Correspondence, Publications, Book Reviews, Personal, and Research Grants and Applications. These series largely reflect the original order in which the fonds was acquired. Most materials are arranged in chronological order, to reflect the evolution of Lehmann's teaching and research interests and activities.