The fonds consists of records chronicling various facets of Howard's long career in mining-related activities. It includes material from his student days, his years at Eldorado Gold Mines, and his years as a professor at the University of British Columbia. The fonds includes photographs reflecting the development of mining equipment and technology. In particular, the numerous photographs from Howard's Eldorado days (1942-1946) depict not only mining operations but also capture aspects of social life in Port Radium, a remote community near the Arctic Circle.

The fonds consists primarily of undated course notes (metal mining, coal and placer mining, mining machinery, and mine surveying); printed material; blueprints; and photographs. The photographs include class portraits from the Mining Short Courses at UBC (1917-1920) and also images of the mining industry from around the province in the early 1920s.