Established by a grant from the Fund for Adult Education in 1951, the Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults (CSLEA) worked with universities seeking to initiate or to improve adult education programs. Its purpose was to help American higher education develop greater effectiveness and a deeper sense of responsibility for the liberal education of adults. During its tenure the Center had three directors; John S. Diekhoff (1952-1953), John B. Schwertman (1953-1956), and A.A. Liveright (1956-1968). The records include correspondence, organizational files, publication files, writings, and miscellany. Key correspondents, mostly from the Center, are James T. Carey, Alexander N. Charters, Roger DeCrow, John S. Diekhoff, C. Scott Fletcher, Freda H. Goldman, Morton Gordon, Kenneth Haygood, Cyril Orvin Houle, A. A. Liveright, Harry L. Miller, John B. Schwertman, Peter E. Siegle, Marilyn M. Vaughan, and James B. Whipple.

Papers of the American author, illustrator, novelist, painter, poet. Correspondence (1916-1963); manuscript drafts of writings and poetry with original drawings by Shaw; exhibition catalogs; photographs; and scrapbooks of magazine articles and clippings compiled by Shaw of his and his friends' work (1921-1935). Incoming correspondence includes that of Josef Albers, Ruth Chatterton, George Gershwin, Sinclair Lewis, H.L. Mencken, George Jean Nathan, The New Yorker, Maxwell Perkins, Smart Set, Deems Taylor, and Monty Woolley.

Papers of the American Unitarian clergyman, educator and activist in international relief work. Collection includes correspondence, writings, printed material, research notes for a Bible concordance. A good portion of the material relates to Albert Schweitzer, including translations into English, by Joy, of some of Schweitzer's writings.

Papers of the American Methodist minister, ecumenical leader (1889-1967). Collection contains correspondence (1907-1967); book manuscript, articles, book reviews, clippings, pamphlets; and memorabilia, including awards, photographs, and a scrapbook of sermons by Nelson's father and others.

American anthropologist, author. Collection includes correspondence, clippings, drafts and manuscripts for publication, photographs, news releases, printed material. Writings and research material on customs, folklore, palmistry, and superstition.

Papers of the Mexican muralist. An epigrapher and sculptor, Wight acted as secretary, translator, and technical assistant to Diego Rivera during the latter's sojourn in the United States. Collection includes a variety of materials relating to Rivera's mural work in Detroit, San Francisco, and New York, including technical documents, correspondence, miscellaneous holograph and typescript manuscripts, photographs, and printed material.

Several generations of an important New England family. Clippings, correspondence, subject file, manuscripts, printed material, journals, photos, scrapbooks, books, artifacts, sermons, articles, correspondence, diaries, calendars, notebooks, more.

Papers of the American novelist and author of books about the Oneida Community. Granddaughter of Oneida Community founder John Humphrey Noyes. Collection contains correspondence (1931-1972); manuscript articles and novels; research notes and drafts of articles, novels, speeches, stories; and memorabilia, including clippings, photographs, and reviews of her books. Some of the material relates to the Oneida Community and John Humphrey Noyes. Correspondence includes single letters of Carl Carmer and Alexander Wilder.

Correspondence, manuscripts, published material and memorabilia of the American librarian, scholar and author.

Photos, unpublished manuscripts, clippings, correspondence, and interviews with the subjects of Brian's biographies and others.