The fonds consists of records pertaining to Barbara Sternberg's activities as an artist, teacher, writer, and activist. In addition to subject files containing materials related to her films, the fonds includes posters, reviews, catalogues, programmes, research and drafts of unrealized projects, course, project, and grant proposals, as well as publications by and about Sternberg. It also includes conference and workshop materials, pedagogical documents, drafts of Sternberg's Cinema Canada column, materials related to screenings, exhibitions, and festivals, as well as correspondence with friends and colleagues, including contemporary Canadian experimental artist Michael Fernandes and former Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke. Records of a personal nature are predominantly limited to correspondence.

Fonds consists of the administrative records, artist submissions, promotional material, fund raising, financial and operational records of the Desh Pardesh organization relating to its annual conference and arts festival and its year-round events related to South Asian youth, women's issues, fund raising, community development and anti-racist efforts. In addition to administrative records, the fonds also includes the submissions of local and international South Asian artists, dancers, film makers, poets, playwrights, photographers and other performers, including audio-visual, photographic and written material, as well as promotional packages and brochures. Fonds is arranged into 11 series.

Fonds consists of correspondence, manuscripts, typesets, cover art, notebooks, video and audio recordings, research materials, photographs, published journals and copies of articles and interviews about Zolf and her poetry. The records document Zolf's work as a poet, editor, critic and as a documentary and experimental filmmaker. Poetry files provide information about Zolf's work in researching, financing, writing, editing and publishing her poetry and her relationships with other poets. Editing files document Zolf's work as a freelance editor and as the founding poetry editor for The walrus magazine. Video production files document Zolf's work as a researcher, producer and director of documentary and experimental video and film.