Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections

The Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections consist of university records, private papers, rare books, maps and other primary source material acquired to support research and learning by the university’s faculty, students, and a community of international scholars. The holdings are strong in the areas of Canadian history, fine arts (design, photography, music, film, theatre), philosophy, environmental history, and sexual diversity. We welcome all researchers and visitors; however, a visit to the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections (CTASC) is a different experience from visiting another department or section of the library.

Archive Hours

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Research Assistance

The reading room of the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections is open for research visits on the following conditions:

• Access is by appointment only and appointments must be made in advance.
• Appointments are usually available from Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
• Researchers must complete a virtual registration form provided by Archives and Special Collections and submit it by email prior to their first visit.
• Researchers must submit a list of up to six items to be examined during their initial visit. Additional material can be retrieved during visits based on staff availability.
• Researchers are welcome to use digital cameras to take images of our holdings for their personal use and private study.
• Face masks are no longer required to be worn on campus, but we strongly encourage researchers to continue wearing them to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

Please contact us at archives@yorku.ca to make an appointment to use our holdings.

About Clara Thomas

Professor Clara Thomas was the long-time friend and champion of Archives and Special Collections. Read more about Professor Thomas here.

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