Archival Research Tutorial: How to request material from the Archives

If you find an item in a finding and you wish to use it in the Archives Reading Room you will need to contact Archives staff to retrieve the material.  Remember, you can only request archival material by the box number, not by series or by file or by item.  For example, if you were researching the records of poet bill bissett, you may identify in a particular file list something that interests you. 

If you want to look at the folder “air 6” you would look at the numeric code to the left of the entry.  In this case, you're interested in folder 218 of box 007 of accession 1976-002 of the Professional papers series in the bill bissett fonds (F0266).

To request a box of archival material, archival staff require:

• The call number (a numeric code made up of the accession number and the box number)
• The name of the archival fonds (the individual, family or organization who generated the records, including the three-digit archival fonds number)
• The file number (this is not always necessary but is helpful if there are access restrictions

Please email archives[at]yorku.ca for an appointment to see the bill bissett material identified above, the email would include all the information identified on the call slip below:

Remember that each call slip must have your name, your registration number and the full date.

If you find an item in the Library Catalogue and you wish to use it in the Archives Reading Room you will need to contact Archives staff to retrieve the material..  For example, if you wanted a copy of this trade copy of Sandman, you would need to fill out the following information:

Title of work  and author

Call number

Please email archives[at]yorku.ca for an appointment to see call number GRN 0030 The sandman : endless nights [you can include the permalink URL so we make sure we are going to pull what you need]; the call slip Archives staff will prepare would look like this:

Remember, each call slip must have the call number, title, your name, registration number and the full date.

If you find an item in the Library Catalogue and you wish to use it in the Archives Reading Room you will need to contact Archives staff to retrieve the material..  For example, if you wanted a copy of a particular issue of this magazine, you would need to include the following information:

• Title of periodical
• Call number of periodical
• Issue/Year you wish to use

Please email archives[at]yorku.ca for an appointment to see call number HQ 1101 E8 Everywoman's world vol. 10, 1919 [you can include the permalink URL so we make sure we are going to pull what you need]; the call slip Archives staff will prepare would look like this:

Remember that each call slip must have call number, periodical name, volume/issue/year, your name, your registration number and the full date.