Dr. Ursula Franklin was the university’s first female professor of metallurgy and materials science and the first woman to receive the title of University Professor, the highest academic rank at the University of Toronto. The archival papers held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Service are a testament to Dr. Franklin’s impact on so many worlds: as a physicist, metallurgist, trailblazing woman in engineering, pacifist, feminist, author, and educator. Dr. Franklin is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of archaeometry, which uses modern material science techniques to investigate ancient artifacts, bringing greater meaning to archaeological finds. Her CBC Massey Lectures, The Real World of Technology, forever changed our understanding of the ways in which technology shapes our social and political lives.

The Ursula Franklin Library Collection includes 152 volumes of books, journals, and various printed material, along with a box of ephemera, manuscripts, and audiovisual material, held by Dr. Franklin during her lifetime. The Collection focuses heavily on her interests in feminism, women and gender studies, and science technology, and includes works she had published on these topics. Throughout the printed volumes are a rich source of notes, ruminations, and marginalia that express not only her interest, but the impact she had on authors who specialized in these fields.