Series one, Billy Jo Jive animated films, contains storyboards, handwritten production notes, memos, clearance forms, financial information, and agreements from John and Ted's company Shearer Visuals as they produced Billy Jo Jive animated cartoon films for Children's Television Workshop, which premiered on Sesame Street.

The second series, Comic strips and other works, includes scrapbooks with clippings of Shearer's other comic strips, The Hills, Next Door, and the Penny Power Club. There are also syndicate proof sheet of Quincy daily comic strips and a booklet with information about the strip to sell to newspapers.

Series three, Early work and family, is notable for a scrapbook with clippings of Shearer's High School newspaper comic strip, as well as other cartoon works he created as young man. Also included are family photographs of Shearer's friends and family, although the people are not identified.