The collection consists of research materials collected by Frank Tester and Glenn Drover. A large part of the fonds consists of newspaper clippings from the 1980s and 1990s related to Canadian and international Indigenous issues. Also included are copies of British Columbia provincial statutes and regulations dealing primarily with local First Nations issues, reports, and other materials documenting Indigenous communities' history in British Columbia and throughout Canada, focusing mainly on child welfare issues.

The collection also incorporates materials collected by Glenn Drover, former Director of the School of Social Work (1983-90). Drover was an accomplished scholar and a dedicated advocate for social justice in Canada and globally. He was recognized for his lifetime contributions to Canadian social work when the annual national social worker award was named the Glenn Drover Award for Outstanding Service. He worked with the Cree in the North, with youth in New York City, people in various countries of Africa and Asia, and various social welfare programs.

The collection consists of materials acquired or collected by Elmer K. Nelson, primarily relating to the UBC criminology programme and his work for the B.C. Office of Corrections. It includes biographical information (1954-2007), correspondence (1952-1987), newspaper clippings (1952-1957), and publications (1953-1957). Also included is an audio cassette recording (catalogue # UBC 3415) of an interview with Nelson. Corrections Branch History Committee, dated 1978. Additionally, a copy of an article written by Gary Parkinson in 2007, "Recovering the early history of Canadian criminology: Criminology at the University of British Columbia, 1951 to 1959", is included at the request of the collector.