The collection consists of secretary's minutes from the Club's founding in 1890. Also included are member biographical information forms, which the organization sent to its membership as part of its centennial celebration, and schedules and announcements of meetings which document the longevity of the Club. Most valuable in this collection are the surviving reading copies of papers presented. The research papers chronicle the opinions of middle and upper-class women related to a variety of topics including travel, disarmament, gender limitations, welfare reform and the domestic arts. Most notable were those read by Alice Wood Wynd, Harriet Steele Rhees, and Rose Alling. Papers presented by guest lecturers are also included in this collection. Correspondence, as well as materials related to the Club's Centennial Celebration, and photographs document the development of the organization.

The papers, related to Vallance's career in the State Department, consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, proposals, documents, pamphlets, publications, other printed material, and memorabilia. Where not otherwise specified, the material is classified in two categories: correspondence and printed material. Much of the correspondence, especially letters from prominent government officials, exists as carbon copies. "Printed material" is a term used loosely to refer not only to the products of the printing press, but also to typewritten reports, directives, speeches, articles, and anything else that cannot properly be classified as correspondence. Where no type of material is specified in the description, it is understood that both types are included.

The Young Women's Christian Association of Rochester and Monroe County Collection is comprised of six series: