The collection contains: typescripts, chiefly of unpublished novels, short stories and a few poems; correspondence between herself and James Brown of James Brown Associates (her agent), publishing companies, book clubs, friends, and on behalf of Operation Morale; magazine and newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, desk diaries, and miscellaneous pictures.

The Bragdon Family Papers are predominantly composed of the personal papers of architect, author, and theater designer Claude Fayette Bragdon but also include those of his parents, sister, wives and children. Included is the correspondence of Claude F. Bragdon with his family and others, including Gelett Burgess, Walter Hampden, Norman Kent, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Kathleen Cunningham, Llewelyn Powys, J.B. Priestley, Nikolai Roerich, Alfred Stieglitz, Peter Uspenskii, John Van Druten, Tennessee Williams, and Frank Lloyd Wright. There are also publications and manuscripts by Bragdon; financial and legal papers; photos of buildings he designed; drawings of stage sets; scores for color music; diaries, 1877-79, 1908-12, 1924-46; scrapbooks; records of the Manas Press; and memorabilia. The correspondence and manuscripts of his sons, Henry W. and Chandler, his father George C. Bragdon, and that of his wives, including the spirit communications of his second wife are included. In addition, the diaries of Kathleen Shipherd Bragdon, 1860-1920; letters and papers of Fayette Shipherd and family; scrapbooks and diaries of May Bragdon; family photographs; and genealogical data; and documents relating to building of Selkirk Bethel Church (Point Ontario, New York, 1848-55) are contained in the collection.

The Frederick Exley collection consists of 36 boxes and 9 oversize items of Exley's personal papers and memorabilia, including 7 boxes of correspondence; 6 boxes of manuscript and printed material by Exley; 1 box of manuscript material by other writers; 4 boxes of printed material and ephemera; 2 boxes of financial, legal, medical and personal documents and materials; 5 boxes of ephemera and memorabilia; 7 boxes of Jonathan Yardley's personal research and manuscript material; 5 packages of oversize ephemera; 1 framed oil portrait; and 3 large exhibit posterboard photos. Several books belonging to Frederick Exley have been removed from the collection and catalogued for Rare Books' stacks (see Appendix C for a detailed listing).