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 John H. Mercer Papers contain materials related to Mercer's research as a glaciologist with the Institute of Polar Studies from 1960-1987, such as aerial photographs, 16mm films, 35mm slides, field notebooks, correspondence, grant proposals, data reports, maps, published and unpublished articles, and other administrative materials. The collection also contains reference materials, including published works by other authors, and Mercer's official reviews and personal notes on the works of other researchers. There are also some personal materials, including photographic slides, in the collection. The materials date from 1912-1987, with the bulk dating from 1960-1987.