collection - University Archives fonds

The need to preserve the history of the college was first noted in 1978 and resulted in the formation of the Archives and Documents Committee on July 1, 1979 with H. M. Lysons of Educational Foundations appointed chairman. The Committee was reconvened in May 1981 at the request of the Executive Officers' Committee. The membership was comprised of two of the original Archives Committee members, and the heads of the Learning Resources Centre and the General Arts and Science Program. Under the guidance of the Committee, records were assembled in the Learning Resources Centre. During the summers of 1985 and 1986 two archival students carried out basic selection, organization and documentation work on the collection. In 1998 with space a pressing issue in the LRC, that office recommended the transfer of the college archives collection to the Provincial Archives of Alberta.

With the establishment of a continuing Records Management Advisor position in the college in May 2000, responsibility for archives liaison role became a records management responsibility. With the cooperation of the PAA, the MacEwan archival collection was returned to the custody and control of the college in April 2003.

The Archives rejoined the library in 2013 when Valla McLean, Humanities Librarian, was appointed University Archivist. In 2014, space for holdings and a reading room were designated in room 7-305 at City Centre Campus and an Archives Technician joined the staff. The grand opening for the Archives was held in June 2017. In 2019, the Archives became an institutional member of the Archives Society of Alberta.