Identity area
Identifier
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
Type
Contact area
Type
Address
Street address
Locality
Region
Country name
Postal code
Telephone
Fax
URL
Note
Description area
History
Archival materials created by and about Chinese Canadians were first acquired by University of Toronto Libraries through its Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library and its Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library given related areas of study of the experiences of overseas/diasporic Chinese. The archive was formally established in January 2019 as the Richard Charles Lee Chinese Canadian Archives through the support of an anonymous donor. Its repository was created in February 2026.
Geographical and cultural context
Mandates/Sources of authority
Administrative structure
Holdings are part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, housed in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library located on the St. George campus of the University of Toronto.
Records management and collecting policies
Records are collected that reflect Chinese Canadian experiences from across the country, with at least some connection to Toronto. Consideration is given to materials that support the teaching and research interests of faculty and students which cross many academic disciplines.
Records are acquired by private donation from individuals, families, and community groups and institutions, through a donor deed of gift agreement.
Buildings
Holdings
Holdings span the early-1900s to the present day, and include textual documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials with a focus on oral history recordings.
Finding aids, guides and publications
Access area
Opening times
Archivist hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Reading room hours are by appointment, Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 4:30pm.
Access a selection of digitized materials through our account on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/chinesecanadianarchives
Access conditions and requirements
Materials are available for consultation by the public, at no cost.
Contact the archivist to identify and request materials. A minimum 2 business days notice is required.
Register and book an appointment through Special Collections Access: https://library.utoronto.ca/use/service/accessing-collections-rare-books-and-special-collections. Users are asked to abide by the reading room and materials handling guidelines outlined.
Accessibility
Services area
Research services
Completion of a Researcher Registration and Agreement is required to access materials. Please contact the archivist.
An archivist is available to discuss your research and help identify sources. Before contacting and/or visiting us, it is helpful to know as much about your topic from secondary sources, including footnoted sources.
Reproduction services
Completion of a Reproduction Services form is required to access materials. Please contact the archivist.
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Banner image: (detail of) 新世界中心 The World Centre - Major MacKenzie Drive & Bayview, Richmond Hill, 1997. David Lai fonds.