The Frederick Albert Cook Collection dates from 1909, 1955, and 1991-2009, with the bulk of items dating from 1991-2009. It consists of materials that are about Cook, including newspaper clippings covering his and Robert Peary's journeys to the North Pole, a book prospectus about Cook's journey to the North Pole, and a microfilm copy of the Library of Congress's Frederick Albert Cook Papers.The collection also contains essays and photographs from writers who argue that Cook did not reach the summit of Denali or the North Pole, and writers who believe that he was the first person to reach the summit of Denali and the North Pole.

The Richard G. Dickerson Oral History, dated 2000-2001, contains transcripts, administrative information and audiocassettes of an interview between Dickerson and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society. This oral history took place on April 21, 2000, regarding Dickerson's experiences in the Navy and as a pilot in Antarctica and the Arctic. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics found in the oral history include Dickerson’s career in the Navy, his experiences flying C-130s with skis attached, the difference between a runway and a ski-way, seasonal activities on the Ross Ice Shelf, and the use of dogs for transportation, which had changed significantly from earlier Antarctic expeditions. The oral history also contains discussions on the establishment of a runway on ice island T-3 in the Arctic, the Arctic Research Lab Ice Station II (ARLIS II), the use of native Iñupiat labor, the Arctic Ice Dynamics Joint Experiment (AIDJEX) project, the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline, and landing at Russian bases in the Antarctic.

The Ian M. Whillans Papers, dated 1955-2001, contains datasheets, maps, reports, articles, aerial photographs, negatives, notes, equipment lists, calculations and field books regarding Whillans' glaciological research in Antarctica and Arctic regions.

The George F. Kosco Papers, which dates from 1945-before 1993, contains photograph albums, a VHS videocassette and a 16mm film regarding Operation Highjump. The videocassette contains footage of the surrender of Japanese forces during World War II, a trip to the Arctic and Operation Highjump.

The Robert E. Peary Collection, dated 1907-1909, 2002-2006, consists of materials about Robert E. Peary and his journey to the North Pole. This collection contains a photocopy and microfilm reel of a 1898-1901 physician’s diary kept by Dr. Thomas Dedrick, a surgeon who accompanied Peary on his 1898-1902 expedition to the North Pole. Page numbers are written on the photocopies. This collection also includes galley proofs and typescripts for Hampton’s Magazine article, “The Discovery of the North Pole.” Peary edited the galley proofs and typescripts with notes and corrections. Also included is a compact disc that contains a copy of an original 1909 Victor Record recording of Peary reading an excerpt of “The Discovery of the North Pole.” The original format of this recording is not in this collection.

The Admiral Richard E. Byrd Papers are dated 1839-2014, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1925-1970. The collection contains correspondence, publications and other printed materials, expeditionary records, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, maps and charts, artifacts, audio and video recordings and motion picture films. Audio recordings include photograph records, audiocassettes, and magnetic tapes, and video recordings include U-matic, Betacam, and VHS videocassettes and DVDs. Films include 16 and 35mm film and negative film reels and strips. Most of the material in the collection is contained in Series 1, Byrd Personal Papers, and Series 2, Expeditionary Records.

Collection topics include Byrd's personal and public life, his expeditions in the Arctic (The Donald MacMillan Expedition and Byrd's North Pole flight), Antarctica (Byrd Antarctic Expedition I and II, United States Antarctic Service Expedition, Operation Highjump, and Operation Deep Freeze), and his Trans-Atlantic flight from New York to France. The Byrd Antarctic Expeditions (BAE I and II) are the most documented overall within the collection, while the Donald MacMillan Expedition, the Trans-Atlantic flight, and Operation Highjump contain the least amount of material. Expedition records deal with the logistics of personnel, communications, finance, diet, nutrition, and equipment. The collection also includes materials on the publicity and media reports created by or about Byrd during or after his expeditions. Finally, while the collection primarily focuses on Byrd, it also includes materials from his family, especially his son Richard "Dickie" E. Byrd Jr. Some materials in the collection about Byrd or his family were created prior to Byrd’s birth in 1888, or following his death in 1957.

The Amory H. "Bud" Waite Papers contains documents, scrapbooks, artifacts, photographs, negatives, 16mm and 35mm films, slides, magnetic tapes and audiocassettes dating from 1796-1989, though the bulk of the materials date from the 1930s to the 1960s. The materials concern both Waite's career as a radio and electrical engineer in polar regions during expeditions, and his personal life. The expeditions files contain diaries, reports, artifacts, charts, ice-depth survey data, maps, and photographs taken by Waite or others during his twenty-three trips to the Arctic and Antarctic. His personal files contain photographs, correspondence, publications and other ephemera on radio engineering, echo sounding, boating, polar philately, military service, and genealogy.

The Frederick A. Cook Society Records, Including Papers of Dr. Frederick Albert Cook, dated 1814, and 1865-2010, contains correspondence, meeting records, publications, subject files, articles, clippings, photographs and audiovisual materials related to the history and mission of the Frederick A. Cook Society as well as some materials created by Frederick A. Cook, including an unpublished manuscript. The collection presents a comprehensive picture of the work conducted by the Frederick A. Cook Society, including the research, writings and advocacy of Helene Cook Vetter (Cook's daughter), Janet Cook Vetter (Cook's granddaughter), and others, "to gain official recognition for the scientific and geographic accomplishments of Dr. Frederick A. Cook." Some of the more prominent supporters and detractors of Frederick A. Cook's accomplishments are found throughout the correspondence, publications, Society records, and subject files of the collection, including: John R. Bradley, Patricia Cook, Marie Fidell Hunt Cook, Hugh Eames, John Euller, Mary Allison Fowler, Andrew A. Freeman, Russell W. Gibbons, Walter Gonnason, Ted Leitzell, Hugo Levin, Robert E. Peary, Dennis Rawlins, William G. Smith, Bradford Washburn, and Theon Wright. General subjects documented by the collection include Cook's Mount McKinley (now known as Mount Denali) expeditions in 1903 and 1906, his North Pole expedition in 1908-1909, and his 1923 mail fraud conviction and incarceration at Leavenworth prison as well as his 1940 pardon from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

The George Cvijanovich Oral History, dated 1958 and 1983-2002, contains recordings, administrative information and a transcript of the interview between Cvijanovich and Ohio State University Polar Archivist Laura Kissel that took place on May 8, 2000, regarding his experiences in the Arctic and as a geophysicist. This interview was a part of a series of Polar Oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics found in the collection include Cvijanovich’s work at the Sorbonne and Columbia University, his experiences on Ice Station Alpha on the ice floe “Ice Skate,” his observations regarding interaction between military personnel and scientists, the development of a nuclear magnetic resonance instrument and his experience of having the first experiment on the high energy accelerator at Geneva.

The Stephen Barnes Oral History, dated 1958-1965, and 2000-2001, contains audiocassette recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of an interview between Barnes and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on March 13, 2000. This interview was part of a series of oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics of the interview include Barnes' recollections of Operation Deep Freeze II, the Sky High Station in Antarctica, and his ionospheric research in Antarctica, Maui, and elsewhere. Barnes also reflects on the contributions of various scientists in Antarctica, the challenges and dangers of living in Antarctica for an extended time, and his personal life since his retirement in 1994.

The Jehu L. "Dusty" Blades III Oral History, dated 2000-2001, contains audio recordings, administrative information and a transcript of the the interview between Blades and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society that took place on March 12, 2000, regarding Blades' experiences as a helicopter pilot and commanding officer in the Arctic and Antarctica. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics found in the oral history include the opportunities in Blades' life that allowed him to pursue flight in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the shipment of helicopters to the polar regions in 1952, the development of helicopter rescue techniques, and his experiences during Operation Deep Freeze I. The collection also contains Blades' recollections of travel from Norfolk, Virginia to McMurdo Station, Antarctica; his time as commanding officer during Operation Deep Freeze 65; the 1964-1965 construction of the Palmer Station; and the relations between international Antarctic scientists and military personnel.

The Charles R. Bentley Papers, dated 1948-2011, contains data sheets, data books, seismograms, aerial photographs, punched cards, microfilm, and magnetic data tapes compiled during his career as a polar scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, the collection contains course documentation, correspondence, maps, publications, minutes, programs, equipment and member lists, forms, proposals and reports gathered from Bentley's interactions with professional organizations, his expeditions, and the courses he taught at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The collection includes national and international meetings files that come from numerous polar and related organizations.

The William Anderson Oral History, dated 2000-2001, contains recordings, administrative information, and a transcript of the interview between Anderson and former Ohio State University Polar Archivist Raimund Goerler that took place on March 15, 2000, regarding his experiences as the captain of the United States Ship Nautilus. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and The Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics of the interview include planning for expeditions, unsuccessful efforts, Anderson's fears that the Navy would cancel the expedition after the first failure, and the importance of Dr. Waldo Lyon, chief scientist on the Nautilus in developing the special instruments that enabled the submarine to measure ice thickness and plot the Barrow Sea Canyon.

The Maxwell Britton Oral History, dated 1966, and 1988-2001, contains recordings, administrative information and a transcript of the interview between Britton and former Ohio State University Polar Archivist Raimund Goerler that took place on March 16, 2000, regarding his experiences as a ecologist at the National Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL) in Point Barrow, Alaska, and as a science officer for the Office of Naval Research for Arctic Research. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. The administrative information gathered for this interview includes two recordings of a previous oral history that Britton conducted with writer Dan O'Neill regarding his interactions with Project Chariot, a plan conceived by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1958 to use nuclear explosions to form an artificial harbor at Cape Thompson, Alaska.

Major themes of the oral history include Britton's decision to pursue an career in science that was shaped by his childhood in Indiana; his college experience, including his initial interest in science and his undergraduate botany assistantship; and his completion of his Master’s degree at Ohio State University and PhD at Northwestern. The oral history also has Britton recount his work at the Office of Naval Research and his perception of the support for projects in the Arctic, his attendance at the first Alaska Science Conference, his experience at Camp Barrow, and his analysis of communication systems in the Arctic. The interview contains Britton's recollections of the International Geophysical Year, the Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station 2 (ARLIS-2), the discovery of Barrow Sea Canyon, and the use of submarines for the study of the Arctic Ocean while at the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL). He additionally mentions his impressions of the indigenous Inuit people and their interactions with scientists, and the environmental effects of research, including destruction of permafrost layers and pipeline construction.