Hours: By appointment; Drop-in hours will be available starting September 2024
Location: Fifth floor of the Chancellor Paterson Library Building; 955 Oliver Rd, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5E1
Contact: (807) 343-8272; sjanes1@lakeheadu.ca
Access: Contact to make arrangements for visiting the archives. Review holdings prior to visit. Zoom research consultations can be made online.
Website: https://library.lakeheadu.ca/libraries-and-collections/archives
Lakehead University Archives houses original materials related to the faculty, staff and affiliated organizations of Lakehead University. It also consists of records that document the history of Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, several original manuscript collections and especially Finnish ethnic societies.
The Archives include a General University Collection (c. 1950-1990) of directories, newsletters, memos, reports, brochures, Board of Governors correspondence, minutes, and other documents from Lakehead University and Lakehead Technical Institute. The Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science (1968-1969) collections include textual records documenting the faculties’ buildings, budget, courses, correspondence, grants, personnel, and students.
Notable private papers of faculty include the Ross Papers (1970-1975), which document correspondence and reports submitted to Dr. R.A. Ross during his term as Dean of the Faculty of Science at Lakehead University.
Lakehead University Archives also has collections of various women’s organizations including the CFUW (Canadian Federation of University Women) records (1959-1990), which contain photographs, receipts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, reports, minutes, and ephemera from the CFUW of Thunder Bay. The Archives also include records from various labour and migrant associations including CTKL (Canadian Teollisuusunionistinen Kannatus Liitto) (1907-1919). These collections contain records of the Finnish labour organization, the Canadian Industrial Union Support Circle, and other affiliated organizations. Also included are minutes, correspondence, financial records, and publications. The Finlandia Club Collection (1903-1960) includes account books, minute books, manuscripts, and photographs of various Finnish organizations in the Thunder Bay region such as New Attempt Temperance Society and Lumber Worker’s Industrial Union of the One Big Union. Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society (1870-1970) collections contain photographs, manuscripts, audio tapes, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other records on the history of the Finns in Northwestern Ontario, with a particular emphasis on Finnish immigration.