Fonds Descriptions

In Canadian archival practice, the word “fonds” is used to describe all the records created by a person or an organization during the course of their existence.

A fonds description brings together all the records created or accumulated by a single entity, regardless of record media.  By searching the fonds description index you will be able to view records maintained by a single creator including textual records, photographs, maps and audio-visual material.  The creator may be a single individual, a family, a company or a government ministry so the extent of the fonds can range from a single item to thousands of boxes of records in all media.

This method of describing records, based on the Canadian Rules for Archival Description  (RAD), is being used for new acquisitions.