Toronto Metropolitan University Archives

• Ryerson University Archives

• Universitaire

Founded in 1971 on a recommendation by the Smyth Commission on Ryerson Polytechnic University’s governance and organization. The Toronto Metropolitan University Archives serves as the institutional memory of the community. The Archives acquires, preserves, and makes accessible a broad range of primary source materials which provide an administrative, academic, fiscal, legal, social, and cultural record of the University.

The Toronto Metropolitan University Archives mandate is to acquire, preserve and make available through a comprehensive archival collection, records essential to the understanding of the University’s purposes and operation or having other historical or archival value. Within its mandate, the Archives acts as a resource facility which documents the history of the University (1948 to the present) and its antecedent institutions at St. James Square. These institutions include primarily the

• Toronto Normal School (1852-1941)
• R.C.A.F. No. 6 Initial Training Centre and Dominion-Provincial War Emergency Training Program (1941-1945)
• Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute (1945-1948)

The Archives also maintains a collection of records and information on Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882), the University’s namesake and founder of Ontario’s educational system, at St. James Square.

Issues related to records management at Toronto Metropolitan University are managed by the Office of the General Counsel & Board Secretariat. For advice on records management best practices or for information on changes to the Records Management policy, please contact: recordsmanagement@torontomu.ca

The Archives is located on the 4th floor of the Main Library

The Toronto Metropolitan University Archives serves as the institutional memory of the community. The Archives acquires, preserves, and makes accessible a broad range of primary source materials which provide an administrative, academic, fiscal, legal, social, and cultural record of the University. The records in the University Archives collection date from 1783, with the majority of records dating from 1948 to the present. As a reflection of the Archives mandate and collecting policy, the primary documentary focus of the records in the collection is on the University and its predecessor institutions. The collection also includes materials relating to Egerton Ryerson and the Ryerson Family. The archives’ holdings include (but are not limited to):

• Records of senior-level, administrative and academic departments
• Minutes and agenda of various university committees, including the Board of Governors and Academic Council
• Financial records, including statements and budget and audit records
• Human resources records
• Records of student, faculty, staff and alumni organizations
• Annual reports
• Contracts, agreements and other legal documents
• Policy and procedure manuals
• Publications
• Student, staff and faculty newspapers and newsletters
• Manuals and handbooks
• Course calendars
• Yearbooks
• Photographs, including prints, negatives, transparencies and digital images
• Motion picture films and video tapes
• Sound recordings
• Cartographic and architectural records
• Paintings, drawings and prints
• Artifacts
• Electronic records
• Speeches and addresses
• Subject files, including primarily secondary source material on Ryerson-related topics
• Private papers and manuscripts
• Published books and articles by members of the Ryerson community (The Ryerson Authors Collection)

The Archives is open from Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm and is closed on weekends and holidays.

The Toronto Metropolitan University Archives collection is open to all of University constituents including students, staff, faculty and alumni. It is also available to external researchers and scholars as well as to members of the general public. Students may consult the collection for course-related projects, assignments and papers and the collection is also extensively used by Staff, Faculty and Administrators in the course of carrying out the University’s academic and administrative business. As an educational resource, the Archives offers considerable opportunities for more advanced scholarly research. Many individuals have studied the significant educational and cultural developments of the University's historic past at St. James Square while others have examined more contemporary aspects of the school's unique academic and physical evolution from an institute of technology to a university.

PLEASE NOTE : Unauthorized reproduction of images contained on the Toronto Metropolitan University Archives Website, is prohibited. If permission is granted and reproduced (please email the Archives for more information), credit shall be given to the Toronto Metropolitan University Archives.

The Archives staff are here to facilitate research and access to collections for the broader Universiry community. Researchers are strongly encouraged to phone or email in advance of their first visit to the archives in order to schedule an appointment. When making an appointment, please include the reference number of the item, or collection or call number of the books you would like to consult. Books and periodicals can be searched in advance of your visit through the Ryerson Library catalogue. Any of the books or periodicals from the catalogue that are located in the Archives reading rooms will be noted as such in the ‘Location’ area in the record. All other A&SC materials can be searched in advance of your visit through the A&SC database.

The Toronto Metropolitan University Archives will not conduct research for patrons. We’re happy to help you locate and access records; navigate our database, catalogue, and paper-based finding aids; digitize material for educational use; access existing digitized material; and refer you to other collections items that are related to your topic. We can’t do things like conduct preliminary searches; research, locate, and digitize the results of subject-based search requests sent in remotely; read through large files in search of items relevant to your research; or clear image reproduction rights with third-party permissions holders.

There is a scanner onsite for making reproductions of approved materials. Photographic images are reproduced by staff.

Finale

• Éducation (Thematic area)