The Walter K. Queen Papers contain correspondence, photographs, records, artifacts, and ephemera created or collected by Walter K. Queen that mostly document his experience during the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (BAE II). The bulk of the papers consist of correspondence, which includes letters, telegrams, and radiograms sent and received by Queen. Much of the correspondence was to and from Queen's wife and daughters during BAE II as well as to and from Richard E. Byrd during and after BAE II. The photographs were mostly taken during BAE II and are images of Antarctica and the ships used during the expedition. Also included are records and messages to Queen that relate to his role as chief engineer aboard the S.S. Jacob Ruppert during BAE II and the refitting the Bear of Oakland in 1939 for the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. The artifacts include uniform pieces, glass bottles from Byrd expeditions, and two nails taken from the Bear of Oakland. Also included are three pocket Bibles, an address book, and an autograph book owned by Queen during BAE II. Ephemera, programs, and other materials related to events from after BAE II are also included. Materials are dated from 1900-1981, with the bulk of the materials dated from 1933-1939. The materials from after Queen's death were received and collected by the Queen family and relate to Queen's experiences in Antarctica during BAE II.

The Byrd Antarctic Expedition I Collection contains materials both from and about Byrd Expedition I, some of which date after the expedition. Materials include black and white photographs and glass slides from the expedition, artifacts from Byrd's flagship the United States Ship City of New York, commemorative medals given in recognition of the expedition, promotional material about the expedition and Byrd's tour, and a drawing of the United States Ship City of New York by the creator of Smokey the Bear. Also included are VHS videocassette and DVD copies of black and white film shot by expedition member Lawrence Gould during his time in Antarctica, with a commentary track recorded later in his life. The collection dates from 1928 to 1940 and 1980 to 2003, with the bulk of materials dated 1928 to 1930.

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 Lois M. Jones Papers, dated circa 1952-1999, contains 18,275 35mm slides, negatives, and photographs of the first all-women expedition to Antarctica from 1969-1970, clippings, and correspondence sent to Lois Jones. The collection also contains one photocopy of Lois Jones' 1969 dissertation, "The Application of Strontium Isotopes as Natural Tracers: The Origin of the Salts in the Lakes and Soils of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica," one bound copy of an earlier progress report from the dissertation, and calculations, graphs, and aerial photographs used in the dissertation. Rock samples Jones likely collected during her time working at Conoco, Inc. are also included.