The archival holdings comprise roughly 1000 metres of personal papers, business and institutional records, and ephemera relating to the economic, legal, military, religious, cultural, social, and political life of New Brunswick with a 19th-century emphasis. Some of the material dates back to the16th century and includes some of the oldest French documents in the province.
Grant to Hannah Flood, Black Refugees, near Loch Lomond, 1837

Nearly 50,000 photographs dating from the 1840s to the early 2000s offer extraordinary documentation of the people, places and events that define our province’s identity. It is an exceptional collection that preserves original and rare examples created by many early and contemporary photographers.
Photographer Unknown, Frances Eileen Denniston Job (Emerson) with her Bridesmaids, June 1936

The Research Library contains approximately 100,000 monographs and 500 periodical titles, with an emphasis on the New Brunswick Museum’s main collection areas: the province’s history, natural history, fine and decorative arts, and genealogy. It also encompasses several special collection libraries. The John Clarence Webster Canadiana Library features a notable collection of early publications related to the Atlantic region, including Samuel de Champlain’s 1613 monograph related to his 1604 voyage to the region. The William Francis Ganong Library was the working library of botanist Dr. W.F. Ganong who was also considered an authority on cartography and geographic nomenclature. His library is the accumulation of a lifetime given to the study of New Brunswick from both scientific and historical points of view. The Odell Family Library features 18th and early-19th century published material considered crucial by at least three generations of a Loyalist family. From a more contemporary perspective, the special collections also house the working library of renowned artist, Fred Ross (1927-2014), about 2000 monographs that reflect the art movements and painters who influenced his almost 70 year career.
Hickman, William. Sketches on the Nipisaguit a River of New Brunswick, 1860