The University of Toronto has acquired the career archive of Peter Mansbridge, the retired former anchor of CBC's news flagship program The National.

The U of T Libraries' Media Commons says the meticulous collection spans nearly five decades of his career as a journalist and includes press passes, letters and photos.

The school calls it a "treasure trove" that depicts not just Mansbridge's career at the CBC but also the news industry and current events throughout the decades.

The 19 storage boxes of material will be housed in U of T's Downsview library.

From 1988 to 2017, Mansbridge was chief correspondent for CBC News and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. He was also host of CBC News Network's Mansbridge One on One.

On Sept. 5, 2016, CBC announced that Mansbridge, now 70, would be stepping down as chief correspondent and anchor on July 1, 2017, following coverage of Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations.

An article on U of T's website says the school asked Mansbridge to donate his records to the library.

Mansbridge, who holds an honorary doctorate from U of T, will host an event for students at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy in April.