Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1851-2004, predominant 1965-2004 (Creation)
Level of description
Fonds
Extent and medium
2.12 m of textual records
205 photographs
Name of creator
Biographical history
Mary F. Williamson (1933- ), Senior Librarian and Fine Arts Bibliographer, York University; M.A. and M.L.S. (University of Toronto). Williamson's research has focused on the early literature of Canadian art, on printmaking and book illustration in Canada in the nineteenth century, on art librarianship, and on the history of food and cookery. She has taught art librarianship at various graduate library schools in North America, and has published numerous articles on Canadian wood engraving, book and periodical illustration, art librarianship and culinary history. Italian baroque drawings have been a special interest for many years and examples from her collection have been lent to exhibitions in Canada and abroad.
She has contributed articles to various encyclopedias including: The Grove Dictionary of Art (2000) and The History of the Book in Canada vols. 1 and 2 (2004-2005). Her major publications include: The Art and Pictorial Press in Canada with Karen McKenzie (1979); Art and Architecture in Canada : A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature with Loren Lerner (1991); and Toronto Dancing Then and Now (1995). Williamson has also been active with professional librarian associations, and as a private citizen in local residents' associations.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated by Mary F. Williamson in 1979, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000 and 2004. Accrual 1979-007 resulted from Williamson's visit to Boston, Massachusetts in 1978, when she met Louisa Murray King, owner of the originals of these letters received by King's ancestor, Louisa Annie Murray.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of material which documents Williamson's career as a fine arts bibliographer, librarian and instructor along with associated professional and scholarly activities. It includes correspondence and reports prepared for collection acquisitions (e.g. Germain Bazin library, archives and postcard collection), other library initiatives, interactions with various library departments, and departments in the Faculty of Fine Arts including visual arts, dance, and theatre; material related to her work on YUFA, PLAYU (Professional Librarians Association of York University), the Librarians' Group, and other York University and library committees; exhibition catalogues, monographs, articles and conference presentations authored by Williamson; and research materials, grant files and teaching files.
The fonds also includes a collection of letters and photographs that Williamson sent home during her stay at various summer camps between 1940 and 1951, material related to the Moore Park Ratepayers' Association, and a collection that Williamson acquired consisting of 63 photocopied letters from literary and artistic figures in Canada such as Susanna Moodie and George Munro Grant, addressed to Louisa Murray (1818-1894), literary critic and writer on feminist issues.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
The fonds comprises the following accessions: 1979-007, 1991-021, 1992-024, 1998-013, 2000-030, 2004-027, 2012-039, 2013-052, and 2017-046. Further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Conditions governing access
Files in accession 1992-024 containing personal salary information on third-parties are restricted.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- englanti
Script of material
- latinalainen
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Note
The location of the original letters that were reproduced for the 1979-007 accrual is unknown. Mrs. King, the owner, died February 15, 1998.
Alternative identifier(s)
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Moore Park Ratepayers' Association (Subject)
- Murray, Louisa Annie, (1818-1894) (Subject)
- Moodie, Susanna, 1803-1885 (Subject)
- Grant, George Monro, 1835-1902 (Subject)
- York University (Toronto, Ont.). Libraries (Subject)
Genre access points
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD
Status
Final
Level of detail
Full
Dates of creation revision deletion
2003/01/17 Sean Smith:. (Creation)
2003/01/17 Awaiting review by the Data Collection Archivist
2004/09/29 Updated fonds level description to indclude 2004-027.
2005/06/16 Dubeau. Biographical sketch, scope and content, restrictions on access, associated records note, and location of originals note updated. Immediate source of acquisition note updated. URL for online finding aid added. Related records note added.
2005/06/17 Dubeau. Minor corrections, typographical errors.
2005/06/20 Dubeau. Relink accession 1998-013.
2008/02/07 Dubeau. Correction to donor name.
2008/02/07 julia holland. additions to biographical sketch provided by the donor. file list revisions for spelling errors and/or content clarifications.
2011/05/27 Anna St.Onge. updated RAD 1.8B20 note to include the fact that Williamson donated photocopies of the Louisa Annie Murray correspondence (including a photocopy of York's finding aid) at the National Gallery of Canada Library and Archives.
2012/09/08 Anna St.Onge. Updated extent and links to accession 2012-039 (photographs of Scott Library from 1970 found in office in 305).
2013/01/17 Dubeau. Corrected typos in bio sketch.
2014/07/22 Migrated to AtoM.
2015/01/01 Anna St.Onge. Updated subject headings, authority records. Deleted stub accession records. Published full archival fonds.
2019/05/31 J. Grant. Post-migration metadata clean-up. Addition of accession 2017-046, GMD, generated finding aid.
Language(s)
- englanti
Script(s)
- latinalainen