Photograph (above) of 'Miss Lou' from the Louise Bennett Coverley fonds
Requesting archival material by email
Please contact us ahead of your visit by submitting a form at the following link: Archives Research Collections Materials Request Form.
For archives, you must include the archives title and box number(s). For books, include author, title, and call number(s). Examples:
If you don’t know exactly what you want to see, please email archives@mcmaster.ca for assistance.
Reminders
In being granted permission to access the archive(s) listed above and to make copies from the archive(s), you are agreeing to the following terms:
Requesting digital copies
In some cases, McMaster can provide digital copies of archival material. When requesting digital copies of archival material, please fill out the form found at the following link: Copy Request Form.
Directory of Researchers for Hire
This directory lists current graduate students at McMaster University who are interested in paid opportunities to work with our collections on behalf of researchers who are unable to visit our location in person.
The William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections maintains this directory as a courtesy to facilitate connections between students and external researchers. The students listed in this directory are not employees of the University Library and must be consulted personally about their fees and services. We cannot participate in any way in these negotiations.
The primary database for archival and manuscript material at the William Ready Division is our Archives Database (AtoM).
The database will connect you to hundreds of finding aids, which list the archival and manuscript material in our holdings. For review on reading finding aids, check out the 'How to Read a Finding Aid' page on the Guide to Archival Research Lib Guide.
There are three main tools for navigating the Archives Database:
1. The search bar.
2. Subject headings. These subjects correspond to our major collecting areas, but please note that they do not cover everything!
3. Site Search. This tool indexes our archival and manuscript descriptions (which give broad information about an item, archive, or collection) and authority records (which give information about the creators of our holdings). This allows you to search our whole website — including our finding aids, which list the contents of our archives by box and file.
The Bertrand Russell Archives has several access points. The starting point for any research related to Russell should begin at the home page for the Russell Archives.
The Russell Archives is described in the Archival Database (AtoM), which provides a complete overview of all the material in the archive. This is a good place to start if you want to get an idea of the archive as a whole.
The Bertrand Russell Archives Catalogue Entry and Research System, or BRACERS, is an online database of over 132,000 correspondence records, including much rich annotation and quotations from Bertrand Russell's letters. For an explanation of some of the abbreviations used in BRACERS, check out this link.
These are additional useful links related to the Bertrand Russell Archives:
How to navigate BRACERS
Using the search bar on the The Bertrand Russell Archives Catalogue Entry and Research System, find the record(s) that interest you and then locate their Box and Document Numbers.
In your email to russarch@mcmaster.ca, list the Record Number, Box Number, and Document Numbers for the material you would like to access. For example,
In 1975 McMaster University reached an agreement with the Anglican Diocese of Niagara to collect, describe and preserve the records of the churches in the diocese as well as the non-active diocesan records. Since that time the records of almost all of the churches in the diocese have been deposited at McMaster, amounting to more than 100 parishes. The Diocese covers approximately 3,320 square miles in the province of Ontario. The most northerly towns are Harriston and Mount Forest; the western boundary is Nanticoke; the eastern perimeter is marked by Oakville and the Diocese extends southwards to Fort Erie. The records are on deposit only and remain the property of the Anglican Church.
The records of the churches are organized by city and then by church. Each church entry includes history of the church and a listing of the records we hold: Records of the Diocese and Individual Churches
These are additional useful links related to the Anglican Diocese of Niagara archives: