The Alan Shapley Oral History, dated 1997 and 2001, contains audio recordings and transcripts of the interview between Shapley and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on January 31, 1997, as well as correspondence from 2001. Major topics discussed include Shapley's involvement in the planning and execution of the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, his research trips to the various polar regions around the globe, his career as a geophysicist, and how his work led to the development of the World Data Centers to allow for the sharing of scientific data between countries on topics relating to the Earth.

The Antarctic Deep Freeze Oral History Project, dated 1998-2005 June, contains recordings and transcripts of the interviews between Dian Belanger and veterans of Operations Deep Freeze I and Deep Freeze II. The Antarctic Deep Freeze oral history project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and supported by the Antarctic Deep Freeze Association. It consists of recordings and typed transcripts of oral history interviews with members of Operation Deep Freeze to capture individual memory and personal perspective on United States involvement in Antarctica during the 1950s. Topics during the interviews include daily life on the bases and various jobs and workloads amongst team members. Abstracts providing brief summaries about each individual interview are included at the series levels in the collection.

The majority of formats in the collection include audio-only interviews, along with two video recordings on VHS videocassettes, one of which is a video recording of the oral history interview of Charles R. Wilson from this project. The other video recording is a VHS videocassette copy of a recording made prior to Dick Slagle's death in 1971.

For all series other than Dick Slagle's, the original recording of the interview on audiocassette is included, followed by a copy of the same recording and then a transcript of the interview. Transcripts of the audiocassette interviews are available online.

The Arlo Landolt Oral History, dated 2001-2002, contains audio recordings, notes, and a transcript of the interview between Dr. Landolt and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on April 10, 2001. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Landolt's trip to Antarctica in 1956-1957 for the International Geophysical Year, his scientific research on the trip, memories of Antarctica, and his astronomy career.

The Dr. George Doumani Papers, dated 1957-1963, 2001-2002, contain rubber stamps, a stamped envelope and order form, and a stamp plate. Doumani ordered these materials when he was an employee at the Ohio State University (OSU) Institute of Polar Studies. The stamps feature the Antarctic expeditions Doumani attended through the Institute of Polar Studies: The Mount Weaver Expedition and the Antarctic Geological Expedition. A stamp for the International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958 is also included. This collection also includes an oral history interview on audiocassette. In the oral history interview, he discussed fossil discovery in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year and his work with the Institute of Polar Studies.

The Edwin C. Flowers Oral History, dated 2000-2002, contains audiocassettes, administrative information and transcripts of the interview between Flowers and Ohio State University Polar Archivist Laura Kissel that took place on March 9, 2000, regarding his experience as a meteorologist in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (IGY). 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 of the oral history include how Flowers became a meteorologist and subsequently how he became involved with the IGY, what daily life at South Pole Station was like, and Flower's role as a weather observer and his research activities, such as weather balloon launches. The oral history also contains a discussion on Paul Siple and his influence on others at South Pole Station, the relationship between Navy personnel and civilian scientists, and Flowers' relationship with others people in Antarctica during that time.

The Gordon Cartwright Oral History, dated 1991 and 2000-2007, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and a transcript of the interview between Cartwright and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society that took place on May 9, 2000, regarding Cartwright's experiences as a meteorologist 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 Cartwright's organization of a series of weather reporting stations along the Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) Highway for reporting Arctic weather conditions, his development of the Joint Arctic Weather Reporting System (JAWS) with the Canadians, and his funding of the construction of the initial weather reporting bases at Resolute and Alert in Nunavut, Canada. The oral history also covers Cartwright's selection and experience as an exchange scientist with the Russians during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) from 1957-1958.

The Harold Leinbach Oral History, dated 1999-2002, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Leinbach and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on October 3, 2000. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Leinbach's work designing the first riometer in the world to measure radio waves in space, his time operating riometers in the Arctic regions during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and his experiences studying the aurora in the Arctic.

The J. McKim Malville Oral History, dated 2000, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Dr. Malville and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on October 3, 2000. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Malville's trip to Antarctica in 1956-1957 for scientific research as preparation for the International Geophysical Year, memories of the trip, and relations with the United States Navy members who also staffed the base. Scientific topics researched by Malville on the trip include the auroras, his primary research topic, atmospheric sodium, and meteorites and micrometeorites that landed in Antarctic ice; Malville was the first person to look for meteorites in Antarctica.

The James Van Allen Oral History, dated 1983, 1997-2001, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Dr. Van Allen and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on November 18, 1997. Major topics discussed include Van Allen's career in polar regions and inter-planetary astrophysics, the planning and implementation of the International Geophysical Year (IGY), development of rockoons, and how his work led to the discovery of Earth's radiation belt, later named the Van Allen Belt.

The John Behrendt Oral History, dated 2000-2001, contains recordings, administrative information and transcripts of an interview between Behrendt and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society. This interview took place on March 14, 2000, and covered Behrendt's career as a geophysicist and his twelve trips to Antarctica from 1957-1995. 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 include Behrendt reflecting on his twelve trips to Antarctica, his scientific achievements, particularly in geomagnetic fields, and his personal and professional relations with polar explorer Finn Ronne. Other major topics of the interview included Behrendt's views and experiences on the necessary tools and equipment needed during expeditions, such as planes, Sno-Cats, and scientific devices, the natural challenges to Antarctica exploration and daily life, and the international treaties and protocols involving Antarctica.

The Lincoln and Tahoe Washburn Oral History, dated 2002, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview of Lincoln and Tahoe by Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on May 9-10, 2002. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Lincoln (often referred to in the oral history as Link) and Tahoe's many research trips to the Arctic, his involvement in the founding of several major Arctic-focused institutions, their partnership in both fieldwork and marriage, and memories of the many locations across the globe that Lincoln's career took them.

The Martin A. Pomerantz Oral History, dated 2000-2002, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Dr. Pomerantz and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on May 10, 2000. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Pomerantz's career as a physicist, his time looking for cosmic rays in the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the globe, involvement in the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), the cosmic ray detector he built in Antarctica, the field of helio-seismology, and his experiences wintering-over in Antarctica.

The Morton Rubin Papers contain a biography of Morton Rubin written by his brother Harry Rubin in 2004, as well as an appendix to that biography of a photocopy of Morton's diary from during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and a copy of that appendix on compact disc. They also contain an audio recording and transcript of an oral history interview of Morton from a series of polar oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program. In this oral history interview from July 21, 2000, Morton discusses his time in Antarctica as a meteorologist during the International Geophysical year, as well as his relations with Russian scientists also in Antarctica at the time.

The Nolan Aughenbaugh Oral History, dated January-April 2001, contains audio recordings, notes, and transcripts of the interview between Brian Shoemaker and Dian Belanger of the American Polar Society, and Dr. Aughenbaugh, conducted on April 12, 2001. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Aughenbaugh's trip to Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, his memories of his time in Antarctica, his experiences with Finn Ronne in Antarctica, and his teaching career following his return from the expedition.

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 Stephen L. DenHartog Oral History, dated 1981-2009, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between DenHartog and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on October 22, 2002. The collection also contains personal notes by DenHartog about his life, which were created starting in 1981, and correspondence from 2009 about the transcripts of the interview. 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 that DenHartog discussed include going to Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), his experiences during the Ross Ice Shelf Traverse and the Victoria Land Traverse, the story of how Albert (Bert) Crary needed to be rescued after the piece of ice that he was working on split off into the water, spending the winter at Little America V, working at the second Arctic Research Laboratory Ice Station (ARLIS II), which was a station installed on a floating ice island off the coast of Point Barrow, Alaska, working for the University of Wisconsin Geophysical and Polar Research Center in Alaska and Antarctica, and working aboard the SS Manhattan in the Northwest Passage.

The Thomas Gray Papers, dated 1959, 2000-2006, consist of a wooden plaque painted by Thomas Gray while he was stationed at Little America V during the International Geophysical Year, 1957-1958. This collection also includes an oral history interview on audiocassette where Gray discussed his experience as the chief meteorologist of the Antarctic Weather Bureau and how he managed a team of international meteorologists.

The William E. Long Oral History, dated 2000-2001, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Dr. Long and Karen Brewster of the American Polar Society conducted on April 28, 2001. This interview was a part of a series of polar 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 discussed include Long's rock climbing, his time as a survival instructor in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, his school experiences, and his trip to Antarctica to gather geological information for the International Geophysical Year (1957-1959.)