The collection consists of records generated by a number of different sources that have been brought together as a collection. The Social Sciences Research Project (1970-75) includes 29 interviews (and transcripts) with Major General The Hon. G. R. Pearkes and significant associates of Pearkes. They cover Pearkes' military career in both World Wars, his political career, particularly as Minister of Defence, and his role in the office of Lieutenant Governor or B.C. (1960-68). Over a number of years, subsequent to the Pearkes interviews, Dr. Roy commissioned several senior students to interview 185 former military personnel, Canadian and Allied. These were funded by the Department of National Defence. The collection offers personal accounts of action in the Great War and in most theatres of the Second War in which Canadians participated, as well as post war peace-time activities in NATO. When Dr. Roy retired in 1988 he gave a number of guest lecture tapes and some C.B.C. military oral history tapes. In 1982, Dr. Barnett B. Singer, a sessional lecturer, donated one interviews with a holocaust survivor, Mr. William Jacobs of Victoria. In 1983, Dr. David Stafford donated nine research interviews (and transcripts) for a book that he was doing on clandestine operations in World War II. In 1984, Elizabeth Hazlitte, a nurse at Victoria's, Veteran's Hospital, gave her interviews with six Great War veterans which she had completed on an L.I.P. grant. In 1990, Robert Winkenhower gave an interview of Olga Ghosh about the experience of a Jew living in Germany in the 1930's (accessioned 1994). In 1993, Cmdr. Hal Lawrence, a naval historian, donated copies of cassettes, summaries and transcripts of 120 interviews with retired Canadian navy personnel. These interviews were conducted between 1980 and 1990 under contract with DND. In 1993, B. Marshall, through Dr. Reg Roy, donated a cassette of an episode of Lister Sinclair's CBC radio programme called "Ideas". The episode was called "A Sense of War" and contains the experiences of Nursing Sisters in W.W. II. In 1997, Dr. Shawn Cafferky donated 22 tapes and transcripts of interview on Naval aviation also commissioned by D.N.D. Directorate of History and Heritage. Interviews with Lt. Col. John Edmonson, M/Gen. Norman Ross and Mr. Geo. Kidd (Major) were added in 2007. "War Stories: A Life Remembered", an audio recording of Thomas Miller's experiences in the Canadian Army during World War II on 2 compact discs was donated in 2008, as well as an interview with Ross Purse describing conditions in Oeyama Camp in Japan during World War II. Will Pratt's interviews of Japanese-Canadian veterans were added in 2009. An interview with LCol Cyril Neroutsos was added in 2010.

The fonds consists of rough drafts and notes for Sward's poetry and prose fiction; publicity material for poetry readings given by Sward; correspondence relating to monetary appraisal of Sward's papers, correspondence between Sward and Wayne Carver, and correspondence regarding grants; Sward's daily journals, lecture notes and notebooks; publications, including magazines, brochures, chapbooks and booklets; Sward family photographs and photographs of Sward with friends and fellow writers, and slides of art works by Judith Sward; art work for publications by Soft Press; film, "The July Movie", by Frederick Edell; and, correspondence, essay and notebook of Irina Schestakowich.

The fonds consists firstly, of correspondence from many well known writers such as Margaret Atwood, Doug Beardsley, bill bissett, George Bowering, Marilyn Bowering, Robert Bringhurst, Barry Callaghan, Lorna Crozier, William Deverell, Timothy Findley, John Glassco, Robert Harlow, David Homel, Patrick Lane, Dennis Lee, Charles Lillard, Dorothy Livesay, Susan Musgrave, John Newlove, Sharon Olds, Michael Ondaatje, P.K. Page, George Payerle, Al Purdy, Joe Rosenblatt, Jane Rule, Jane Urqhuhart, and Sean Virgo. It is arranged in alphabetic series. Secondly, there are prose and poetry manuscripts. These are roughly divided into poetry and prose, with some large sections of late drafts intact. Thirdly, there are materials relating to the Writer's Union of Canada, Writers in Electronic Residence, political press clippings, material about his libel trial, and miscellaneous printed material.

The fonds consists of correspondence with George Woodcock, editor of "Canadian Literature" in 1971, re his submission of a review of Robin Skelton's poetry, plus a first draft of the review; correspondence with Rampant Lions Press (Will and Sebastian Carter), 1976-1977, regarding the printing of a collection of Hutchison's broadsides, plus copies of the broadsides; manuscripts, correspondence, artwork, notebooks, research materials and miscellaneous [This large collection (1996-020) is only roughly sorted and is on loan]. Notable correspondence includes George Woodcock, Susan Musgrave, Dennis Brown and the Rampant Lion Press.

The fonds consists primarily of drafts and research materials used to write his book "Frontier Theatre: A History of Nineteenth Century Theatrical Entertainment in the Canadian Far West and Alaska", published in 1982. Fonds includes musical scores and librettos, programs, photographs, scrapbook and four unpublished plays: "Murder Pattern," 1936; "Ascend as the Sun"; "Earth Song", by Herman Voaden; and "The Dragon", by Bertram Brooker.

Fonds consists of research data collected for three book projects on music history in Canada, B.C., and Victoria, including photocopies or slides of 1850-1950 newspaper articles, reviews, retrospective articles, and biographical data. Also included are some original programs from the period.

Collection consists of Treaty and protocol documents, and correspondence for the Minister's use. The correspondence Martin selected for inclusion in these volumes was limited to letters containing significant argument for and against the Columbia River Treaty.