Custodial History
Material for the Dr. William Cyril Desmond Pacey Fonds was deposited in the UNB Archives piecemeal over a period of years, 1955-1975, primarily by Dr. Pacey. Many of the files contain handwritten letters by Dr. Pacey to the UNB library and Archives staff, in which he records personal notes about individual donations to the collection, and states his interest in preserving a collection of his material at the UNB Archives. Clearly, Dr. Pacey intended the UNB Archives to be the central repository for his personal family papers, his manuscripts, and his university records. He recognized that the UNB Archives contained one of the leading collections of Canadian materials in the Rufus Hathaway Collection, and one of his central goals was to establish UNB at the forefront of Canadian literary studies. A few miscellaneous items were added to the Pacey Fonds after his death in 1975.
Language
With the exception of two letters in French, the remainder of the Pacey Fonds is in English.
Restrictions
Photocopies of material from the National Archives, contained in Series 2.1 to 2.5, carry with
them the same restrictions that are imposed by the National Archives - the files remain closed until
the year 2007. Some UNB Department files in Series 4 may contain personal information which
requires some restricted access in order to protect individual privacy. This generally will involve
temporary removal of single items so that the remainder of the file contents will be accessible to
the public. English department files may be viewed with the permission of the department head;
otherwise, these files have restricted access for thirty years.
Related Collections
The National Archives of Canada has a collection of Pacey Literary Papers. A partial finding aid
has been compiled for this
collection. The photocopies of correspondence between Lorne Pierce and Frederick Philip Grove
are housed in the Queen's University Archives. The UNB Archives and Special Collections
Department contains other important Canadian literary papers and the extensive Hathaway
Collection. Related UNB departmental files also are housed in the UNB Archives, together with the Margaret E. Hicks Collection of W.C.D. Pacey correspondence. Researchers
should consult with Archives staff for further assistance.
Request an Appointment
Prior arrangements must be made for the retrieval of this material. Please email us to make an appointment.