Hours: Monday to Friday 0:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Room 5C02, 5th floor of the Library in Centennial Hall; 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB Canada, R3B 2E9
Contact: 204-786-9162; archives@uwinnipeg.ca
Access: Open to the Public; Walk-ins are welcome, appointments are preferred. Before visiting the Archives, please consult the User Policy
Website: http://archives.uwinnipeg.ca/
The University of Winnipeg Archives And Records Centre is home to the archival records of the University of Winnipeg (1967–present) and its predecessors, namely Manitoba College (1971-1938), Wesley College (1886-1938), and United College (1938-1967). It also houses records of the local community and private records and manuscripts of individuals, families, and organizations in Manitoba, emphasizing themes in aboriginal history, social justice and human rights. The Archives and Records Centre also shares its space with the United Church of Canada and Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario Conference Archives.
The Archives and Records Centre includes collections from the University of Winnipeg’s Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies (1996- ), a successor of the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives Research Centre (1984-1985) or Rupert’s Land Research Centre (RLRC) (1985-1996). It functions as a membership-based organization promoting and facilitating the study of the history of Rupert’s Land (1670-1870), especially Indigenous and fur trade history. Notably, the collection includes 80 oral history recordings of oral traditions and stories told by Omushkego elders from Winisk, Ontario. The University of Winnipeg Women’s Auxiliary collection (1920-2004) includes records of the University of Winnipeg Women’s Auxiliary, a successor to the Women’s Auxiliary of United College, descended from Wesley (Methodist Church) and Manitoba (Presbyterian) colleges. The auxiliaries were developed for the purposes of encouraging social and religious culture among college women and promoting co-operation between the colleges and the churches.
Private papers include the collections of Charles Arthur Baragar (1909-1911), who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1915. He was appointed Medical Superintendent of the Manitoba Hospital for Mental diseases in Brandon (1919-1930) and later became Commissioner of Mental Health and Superintendent of the Ponoka Provincial Mental Institute (1930). Other notable collections include the papers of former University of Winnipeg president Lloyd Axworthy (1872-1914; predominantly 1966-2004). Dr. Axworthy was a long-time member of the Liberal Party of Canada and was appointed as Minister of Employment and Immigration (1980-1983), Minister Responsible for the Status of Women (1980-1982), Minister of Transport (1983-1984), Minister of Human Resources Development, Minister of Western Economic Diversification (1993-1996) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1996-2000).
The Archives and Records Centre also houses collections of various aboriginal and women’s organizations, including the Congress of Black Women of Manitoba Inc. (1973, 1980-2010). Since 1951, this organization was one of the most active and organized Black organizations in Canada, advocating for legal and social change and the elimination of racism, sexism, classism, and violence against women and families. The Two-Spirited Collection (1983-2013; predominantly 1988-1998) highlights the Indigenous Two-Spirited community of Manitoba. The collection is arranged in seven series documenting the Two-Spirited Movement across Manitoba and North America, various two-spirited organizations and films and photographs related to the Manitoba Aboriginal AIDS Conference (1992). Cho!ces (1937-2002, 12m), a social justice coalition established in Winnipeg (1990), consists of records of local and provincial organizations including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Manitoba Federation of Labour and the Manitoba Action Committee for the Status of Women. Other notable collections include the Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women (MACSW), Prairie Women’s Health Centre for Excellence and the Winnipeg Press Club, Canada’s oldest media club (1887) and one of the four oldest in the world.
There are various digital collections including the Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study (UAPS) (2006-2011), a national research project that seeks to increase the understanding of the experiences of 2,614 First Nations peoples, Métis and Inuit as well as 2,501 non-Aboriginal Canadians living in Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Ottawa. The Western Canada Pictorial Index consists of reproductions of more than 70,000 images related to the history of Western Canada, gathered over nearly three decades. The Indian News collection (1954-1982) includes the entirety of this Department of Indian Affairs publication, which was distributed among Canada’s First Nations people and covered topics related to their communities. The West Central Streets Digital Archive (1995-2011) includes all publications of this community owned and operated publication, dedicated to documenting the stories of everyday people living in Winnipeg’s West Central neighbourhood. Other notable digital collections include Vox, (in) edition Archive and University of Winnipeg Timeline.