The Jonathan Duff Reed Papers consist of materials related to the 1926 Byrd Arctic Expedition and first Byrd Antarctic Expedition (BAE I, 1928-1930), including letters of recommendation sent to Admiral Richard E. Byrd on behalf of Reed, portraits of Reed in his expedition gear, photographs taken by Reed during the expeditions, and the Kodak camera he used, equipped with a fast lens for the snow. Also included are newspaper clippings about the expeditions, as well as Byrd's obituaries. Reed's certificate from the United States Navy appointing him as midshipman, his honorable discharge certificate from the United States Army, and a certificate authorizing him to man a lifeboat from the United States Department of Commerce are included. Materials are dated circa 1910-1930, and 1950-1965.

The Robert E. Donahue Papers date from circa 1909 to the 1920s, and consist of photographs, glass slides, and a diary created by Donahue while he documented the Arctic expedition for Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1926 North Pole Flight for Pathe News. Also included is a scrapbook documenting the flight, a shipboard satirical newsletter written by Donahue and fellow cameraman Willard Van der Veer during the Arctic expedition called "Seas All - Nose Nothing," and photographs of explorer Robert E. Peary and other unidentified people.