Series I is primarily made up of correspondence, but also includes reports and publications. The correspondence documents interaction between library administration and various departments within the library, OSU colleges and departments outside the library, other libraries in the OSSHE system, professional library organizations, the Oregon State Library, Oregon Historical Society, and OSU committees and other administrative bodies. Included among the topics covered in this series are: budgets, gifts and grants to the library, library policies, computer networks and databases, and library collections. Series II consists of minutes and correspondence from the Library Administrative Council and minutes from library staff and faculty meetings.

Records documenting the administration of college and university libraries in OSSHE constitute the materials in series III through V. OSSHE Libraries (other than OSU) represented in these records include those at the University of Oregon, Oregon College of Education (now Western Oregon University), Southern Oregon of College Education (now Southern Oregon University), Eastern Oregon College of Education (now Eastern Oregon University), and the University of Oregon Medical School (now Oregon Health Science University). Most of the records in these three series were generated by the Central Library Office of OSSHE when it was located on the OSU campus from 1932 to 1965.

Series III consists of records generated by various OSSHE committees and the Chancellor for Higher Education regarding policy formation, planning, and the compilation of bibliographical information among the system's college and university libraries. Including records from the Interinstitutional Committee, the OSSHE Library Council, and several of the OSSHE campus presidents, this series chiefly contains reports, correspondence and meeting minutes. Statistical information compiled monthly by OSSHE regarding circulation, books lost and withdrawn, reference usage, and additions to the collections make up the records in series IV.

Series V contains records generated by the Central Library Office of OSSHE while administered at OSU by Librarian Lucy Lewis. Consisting primarily of correspondence, reports, and statistical reports, this series documents systemwide centralization planning and budgetary matters.

The personnel files of library staff constitute series VI and includes correspondence, curriculum vitae, grade transcripts, and photographs. The scrapbooks in Series VII were compiled by the Public Relations Committee and contain newspaper clippings about library staff, collections, and events that were clipped from the Barometer, Corvallis Gazette-Times, and Oregonian. Also contained in these scrapbooks are photographs, brochures, and newsletters relating to events sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Series VIIIa contains chronologically arranged program lists and transcripts of lectures delivered by library staff on the university radio station KOAC. In addition to reviews of books and periodicals newly acquired by the library, there are also lectures on various topics such as health and travel intended to highlight library collections. Series VIIIb constitutes annual and monthly reports generated by various departments of the library.

In addition to budget and reference statistical information, the library statistics and inventory records in series IX document the inventory and valuation of library equipment and supplies and consist primarily of used property release forms, correspondence, and memoranda. Information on the holdings of the Map Room can also be found in this series. The circulation statistics consist of microfilmed ledger entries documenting circulation of books and periodicals, reading and reference room attendance, and overdue book fines.

In addition to Annual and Biennial Reports of the Librarian, series XI includes analyses of the library collection and circulation system, budget estimate reports, an evaluation of the library holdings for materials relating to speech communication, and a progress report on an early microfilm demonstration project at OSU. Series XII consists of records generated by library committees and includes committee membership lists, correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, publications, reports, and survey data. Included among the subjects addressed by these committees are building expansion, conservation, human resources, on-line catalog, promotion and tenure, public relations, safety, and the Library Staff Association.

The Faculty Senate Library Committee records in series XIII contain correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda, and reports which pertain primarily to administrative matters such as the formation of policies and procedures. The subject and reference files in series XIV contain correspondence, a grant proposal, meeting minutes, reports, and publications generated mostly by computer companies and library-oriented committees and organizations. The records relate to library databases and networks, computer software, and the Oregon Library community. Materials regarding the Linus Pauling Collection can also be found in this series.

Series XV consists of handwritten notes on index cards regarding Librarian Ida Kidder and various library-related events and stories from 1896 to 1926 gleaned from correspondence, the Barometer, and the Beaver Yearbook. This series also includes a reprint of an essay on the history of the OSU Library by Library Director William Carlson that was published in the 1977 edition of the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science.

The Buildings and Facilities records pertain to the construction, renovation, and maintenance of two of the buildings that have housed the library on campus as well as the Hatfield Marine Science Center Library in Newport. They include architectural drawings, brochures, correspondence, notes, reports, specifications, and studies. Records in this series referring to Kidder Library pertain to the library when it was housed in Kidder Hall. Records pertaining to the construction, renovation, and addition to the Kerr Library refer to the structure that was constructed in 1963, now known as the Valley Library.

Series XVII documents long-range planning, accreditation, survey research, policy formulation, and other administrative tasks of library management. The series includes correspondence, reports, manuals and handbooks, self-studies, and survey data. The publications include brochures, handbooks, newsletters, and other informational media generated for distribution to library users with information on library resources, layout of the library building, and use of the collections. This series also contains a two-part index of the OSU student newspaper, the Daily Barometer, compiled by the Social Sciences/Humanities Department of the Library. Covering the years 1896 to 1980, the index is divided into two sections that are searchable by subject or personal name of student or faculty/staff member.

The artifacts consist of three printing blocks for bookplates (mid 1930s) and two plastic goblets created for receptions and other events involving the OSU centennial celebration in 1968. The sound recordings are self-guided audio tape tours of the library and include the accompanying tour scripts.

Subgroup 2 consists of materials generated by the OSU Centennial Committee and the Charter Day Committee in the planning and publicity of the OSU centennial in 1968. Consisting of award records, certificates of congratulations, correspondence, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, publications, and reports, the records in this subgroup document the development of the centennial logo, the writing of department histories to honor the anniversary, and the invitation of guests to the centennial celebration events.