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.

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.