Fonds consists of textual records and published materials produced or acquired by Keith Ralston primarily through his historical research and other professional activities, along with a small selection of personal materials. It is arranged in the following ten series, which largely reflect how the records arrived in their original order: Department of History, Thesis, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Cowichan Fishing Case, Public Record Office, Hudson’s Bay Company Research, Research, Associations, Personal, and Day Books.

The fonds consists of project background and administrative information as well as student-generated material arising from their oral interview exercise. The student material consists of two parts generated in 1987 and 1988. The first (Box 2) includes copies of questions, transcripts and student comments on the interviews. The inventory also lists the oral history tape number. The second includes only a copy of the students’ commentary.

The fonds consists of both research notes relating to Lawrence's 1957 M.A. thesis Markets and capital: a history of the lumber industry of British Columbia (1778-1952); and later notes, clippings, and publications dealing with politics and the B.C. forest industry which were inter-filed with the thesis material.