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- Archival Film Flashes Back to 70s Student Life
- Manuscript Traces SFU's Architectural History
- Early University News Publications Now Digitally Available
- Digitized Programs Commemorate SFU’s Opening & Installation Ceremonies
- Archives Celebrates Fall Convocation with Release of Digitized Programs
- Films Capture Visual History and Sentiment of Time Gone By
- Lost and Found: Simon Fraser Letters
- Oral History Provides Glimpse into Mind of SFU’s First Chancellor Gordon Shrum
- Early SFU Photos Tell a Story That Frames Our World
- Aerial Photos Capture Campus Landscape & Photographer’s Legacy
- You have what...?!! and other interesting things you didn't know about the SFU Archives
- Charting the course of history: documenting SFU's early days from the student perspective (Part 1)
- Charting the course of history: documenting SFU's early days from the student perspective (Part 2)
- Helping others find their history in the future: Preserving the records of the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry at SFU
- Preserving the sparks of global revolution in the Adbusters Media Foundation fonds
- Reflections of a co-op student
- Debunking popular myths and conspiracies with the Barry Beyerstein fonds
- In "The Beginning...": First student film returns to SFU
- "Got any pictures of Terry Fox?"
- My summer in the archives: a co-op placement retrospective
- Seeing the world through Arthur Erickson's eyes
- Beer (records) in the Archives!
- Quartet in the Quadrangle: PSQ Records Come to SFU
- Navigating silences and filling gaps: finding Black stories in the Archives
- Boxes, boxes, and more boxes: my summer co-op at SFU Archives
- Finding queer joy in the SFU Archives: Out On Campus records now available
- Glossary
Research
The University Archives encourages researchers to visit the Archives in person and make notes from the material that they consult. Advance preparation helps to ensure a smooth visit.
First time? We're here to help
Check out our How To Guide for everything you need to know about conducting research at the Archives.
Our Holdings
Browse our holdings in SFU AtoM (Access to Memory).
Resources for Remote Researchers
Digital-born and digitized material available for download on SFU's Access to Memory (AtoM) website.
Thematic Guides
Supplementary subject-based guides to aid in research.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make copies of materials in the Archives?
The Archives provides limited reproduction services to researchers wanting copies of materials. Please read the Policy for details.
I am unable to visit the Archives to conduct research in person. Can a staff member carry out research on my behalf?
The large volume of inquiries relative to staff and processing priorities means that we are only able to undertake very limited research on behalf of researchers unable to visit the Archives. We will do our best to answer queries given a 30-minute research limitation per inquiry. Depending on staff workloads, it could take up to 20 working days before your query is addressed.
How do I cite the Archives?
For information about how to cite archival material in papers or publications, please review the archival citation guidelines.
How do I gain access to records containing personal information for research purposes?
We are required by law to protect specific types of information, disclosure of which would cause harm or be an unreasonable invasion of privacy (see our Access Policy below for more information). Where a researcher requests access to files containing personal information, it might be necessary to enter into a Research Agreement with the Archives.
Researchers needing access to personal information must complete and submit the form below to archives@sfu.ca. It is a PDF with fillable fields that can be saved to your computer.
Featured archival holdings
Select holdings from SFU AtoM (Access to Memory).
Reading Room Hours
Monday: by appointment
Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: closed
Sunday: closed
Email: archives@sfu.ca
Phone: 778.782.3805
Before your visit
During your visit
Internet Connection
In order to use an SFU wifi connection, you will need to set up Eduroam while you are still at your home institution.
Researchers unaffiliated with an institution can access the internet through a designated workstation or their personal phone data.
Halpern Family fonds
Explore the lives and accomplishments of the Halperns, a Jewish family who fled from Vienna shortly before the outbreak of WWII.
Peak Publications Society fonds
Uncover the stories behind the headlines and explore SFU's history from the student perspective.
Research in action
Check out how SFU Archives' research holdings are influencing the work around us.
Copyright
While Simon Fraser University owns copyright in many of the archival records in the Archives' holdings, there are also many documents for which copyright is owned by a third party.
The Archives will make a copy of third-party copyright protected materials as permitted under the fair dealing provision of Canada's Copyright Act (section 29): Fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright. For criticism, review or news reporting to be considered fair dealing, you must also mention the source and creator of the work. See the SFU Copyright Office article "What is fair dealing and how does it relate to copyright?"
Any use of the copy for a purpose other than those permitted under fair dealing may require the authorization of the copyright owner of the work in question; please consult the Reference Archivist for information relating to copyright ownership in such cases.
For information about how to cite archival material in papers or publications, please review the Archival citation guidelines.
Have concerns about your copyright or privacy?
SFU Archives is committed to expanding public access to its holdings by making born-digital and digitized archival materials available, primarily through its online access system. In doing so, the Archives strives to protect the personal and confidential information of individuals and organizations that are the subjects of archival materials; and to deal respectfully with copyrights that exist in archival materials when the materials are not in the public domain and copyright does not belong to SFU.
If you are a record subject or a copyright owner, you may register objections relating to your privacy, confidentiality, or copyright with the Archives. Read more about our procedures and the means of handling these requests and resolving disputes in these documents.
Takedown Request Procedure.pdfProtocol for members of the public to request takedown of the Archives' online materials for privacy or copyright reasons. Last updated: May 2015
Takedown Request Form.pdfUse this form to initiate takedown requests for digital material. Last updated: Apr 2015.