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 Thomas D’Amico Papers contain materials collected by D’Amico before, during, and after his time aboard the U.S.S. Bear of Oakland for Richard Byrd's second Antarctic expedition. The collection contains one coat, four pairs of googles, one pocket knife, one knife in a sheath, one pair of gloves, a three piece set of Fraunfelter commemorative china (a mug, small bowl, and a soup bowl), one United States Navy medal, one American Guernsey Cattle Club medal, one Havalite pencil and lighter combination, and several documents pertaining to D’Amico’s time before, during and after the expedition. Documents include correspondence, a scrapbook, clippings and photographs. Materials are dated circa 1926 to 1957, with the bulk of material being dated circa 1933 to 1935.

The Stephen O. Wilson Papers contain log books and journals kept by Wilson while serving in the United States Navy during Operation Deep Freeze I, II, and III, as well as some naval dispatches and reports from that time period; these materials date from 1955 to 1958. The papers also contain an audio recording and transcript of an oral history interview of Wilson 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 August 13, 2001, Wilson discusses his experiences during Operation Deep Freeze I, II, and III, working on icebreaker ships, and his career following his service in the United Statees Navy. The interview and transcript date from 2001-2003.

The "South Pole Padre" Documentary Created by Archdiocese of Dubuque and Loras College, dated 2004, is a documentary film on a VHS videocassette. Its subject is Father William J. Menster, a Catholic priest who delivered the "Prayer of Antarctic Dedication" on January 26, 1947, while serving as Navy Chaplain during Operation Highjump. The film provides a documentary history of Menster's life before and after achieving priesthood, but places a particular focus on his service during Operation Highjump. The film was produced by Loras College Productions in Dubuque, Iowa.

The S. Edward Roos Papers date from 1928-1999 and 2009, with the bulk of materials dating between 1928-1991; incidental materials related to Roos and his career dated after his death were kept by his son. The rest of the collection consists of items created and collected by Roos over the course of his sailing career, including notebooks from his trips to Antarctica during Byrd Antarctic Expeditions I and II, a photograph album from Byrd Antarctic Expedition I, ship service records spanning his entire career, and correspondence and newsletters from fellow members of the Byrd Antarctic Expeditions. Also included are newspaper clippings about the ships he was on that survived torpedo attacks, research about other ships he had sailed on in his career, a Swedish Admiral Byrd obituary clipping, and photocopies of the Roos Papers at the United States National Archives. Finally, the collection contains Roos's medals and uniform decorations from the United States Merchant Marine, his World War II Victory Medal, Byrd Antarctic Expedition II Guernsey Cattle Club medal, cap badge and shoulder boards, and two Freemason rings. These items arrived in a military medal rolled storage pouch, with Roos's service award bars pinned to it; these bars remain attached to the pouch.

The Robert Behling Field Notebooks of Observations Recorded During the South Pole-Queen Maud Land Traverse II Expedition consists of three field notebooks containing scientific data gathered during the South Pole-Queen Maud Land Traverse II (SP-QMLT II) expedition, 1965-1966. The notebooks each measure 4.5 x 7 inches and altogether contain 217 pages of stratigraphic and other measurements, observations, and questions recorded by Behling during his participation in SP-QMLT II. Entries include remarks on the initial extreme cold and eventual warming of the air temperature throughout the expedition, best practices for coring stratigraphic samples, and observations of various sastrugi formations. The first entry is dated November 16, 1965, and the final entry is dated February 3, 1966. The notebooks were manufactured with waterproof components by the Eugene Dietzgen Company.

The Richard L. Cameron Oral History, dated 2002-2009, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Cameron and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on October 8, 2003. The notes are dated before, during, and after the interview, and the interview transcript was completed in 2009. 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 discussed include what led to Dr. Cameron to pursue a career in glaciology, his experiences in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), his research studying the properties of glaciers, ice, and snow in Antarctica, earning his Doctorate at The Ohio State University and the different positions he had there, his experiences during the South Pole-Queen Maud Land Traverse (1964-1965) in Antarctica, and the different roles he had at the National Science Foundation.

The Raymond Fosdick Papers, dated 1926-1955 and 1979-1983, contain correspondence and American flags sent to Raymond Fosdick by Richard E. Byrd. Byrd had a practice of taking flags on his flights and expeditions then gifting them to friends and benefactors upon his return. Some of the correspondence accompanied the flags and some of the correspondence relates to other topics, such as the Fosdick Mountains. Materials created after Fosdick's death were received or collected by his family and also relate to Byrd and his relationship with Fosdick.

The Operation Highjump Collection contains collected materials both from and about Operation Highjump; materials date from 1947-1948 and the 1990s-2010. Items from Operation Highjump and immediately after include a souvenir edition of the "Bergy Bits" newsletter, and a 1948 United States Navy report on observations from Operation Highjump. Items about Operation Highjump consist of a newsletter and menu from the 1996 Fiftieth Anniversary gathering of people who were a part of Operation Highjump, photocopies made in the 1990s of 1946-1947 newspaper articles and clippings about Operation Highjump, a VHS videocassette with recordings of several television shows about Operation Highjump, and a 2010 DVD of crewmember Wendell Summers narrating his experiences on Operation Highjump.

The National Science Foundation Research Vessel Hero Records consists of operations manuals, ships logs, reports, receipts, contracts, correspondence, deck logs, and engine logs from the Research Vessel Hero's years in service as a field vessel for the National Science Foundation; materials date from 1970 to 1985.

Mary Boland Collection of Clippings on Admiral Richard E. Byrd includes clippings files collected by Byrd family friend Mary Boland on Admiral Richard E. Byrd's expeditions, and photocopies of documents from other repositories concerning Richard E. Byrd. Also included are photocopies of writings by Byrd and Thomas Poulter about several of Byrd's expeditions in the polar regions of the globe, as well as materials related to the dedication of several memorials to Byrd. Materials in this collection date from the 1920s-1997.

The Lawrence A. Warner Field Notebooks From United States Antarctic Service Expedition, dated November-December 1940, consists of five field notebooks written by Warner while he was conducting a geological survey of the Edsel Ford Ranges in Antarctica as part of the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. Each notebook is numbered and has a title, except for the 4th and 5th notebooks. The notebooks contain an index to reference where graphs and drawings are in the notebook. Summaries of the types of rocks and minerals that were discovered at the Edsel Ford Ranges are also included in the notebooks.

The Julius Grigore Jr. Papers, dated 1992-2004, consist of photocopies of articles Grigore wrote, photocopies of correspondence Grigore sent to Admiral Richard E. Byrd regarding Operation Deep Freeze I, and a monograph Grigore wrote about aerophilately and the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition. Articles written by Grigore from 1967 to 2004 feature topics such as Panama aerophilately (the study of airmail) and the history and research of the wind chill index. The correspondence, which originally dates 1954-1955, contains Grigore’s initial letter of interest and application to join Byrd on Operation Deep Freeze I, and follow-up correspondence by Grigore to inquire about the status of his application. A copy of Grigore’s monograph, “Canal Zone and Panama Aerophilately and Philately Associated with the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition (BAE I), between 1928 and 1930,” is also included in this collection.

The John Splettstoesser Papers, dated 1973-2002, 2015, consist of VHS videocassettes, a DVD, and a postcard. The videocassettes and DVD contain documentaries about the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917), Byrd Antarctic Expedition II (1933-1935), and the exploration of the South Pole. Also included in this collection is a postcard from Richard Goldthwait, one of the founders of the Institute of Polar Studies at The Ohio State University. Goldthwait wrote to Splettstoesser about his work in Antarctica.

The Jack Moon Papers date from 1947 January 12 to February 26, and consist of items gathered by Moon during his naval service onboard the United States Ship Pine Island during Operation Highjump (1946-1947). Items include Official United States Navy Dispatches from Pine Island, and several issues of "The Pine Knot," the Pine Island's shipboard newsletter. Items document the time period immediately following the Pine Island's rescue of the crew of downed airplane George 1 on January 12, 1947.

The Jack B. Long Oral History, dated 2002-2009, contains audio recordings and transcripts of the interview between Long and Brian Shoemaker conducted on September 19, 2002. There are also notes that were created before, during, and after the interview and are dated 2002-2009. 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 discussed include Long’s relationship with his older brother (William E. “Bill” Long), Tucker Sno-Cats, living and working conditions in Antarctica, Dr. Charles Bentley, the Sentinel Mountains Traverse (1957-1958), the Horlick Mountains Traverse (1958-1959), and the McMurdo-South Pole Traverse (1960-1961).

The Irving E. Podrat Scrapbook on Richard E. Byrd contains newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, correspondence, and other documents compiled by Irving E. Podrat about Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd. The materials relate to the first and second Byrd Antarctic Expeditions, including materials that specifically mention Paul A. Siple, who served on all of Byrd's Antarctic expeditions. The materials also relate to Byrd's North Pole and trans-Atlantic flights. Autographs from members of the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition and a letter from Paul A. Siple that metions Irving E. Podrat are included. It is possible that some of the materials were given to Podrat by Siple or other members of Byrd's expeditions. The materials date from 1926-1937.

The scrapbook was disassembled for storage and placed into folders.

The Herb Harvis Collection of Byrd Antarctic II Expedition Glass Slides and Maps of Antarctica, dated 1910s-1934, 1964-1987, contains materials related to Byrd Antarctic Expedition II and the exploration and mapping of Antarctica. The glass lantern slides contain photographs taken during Byrd Antarctic Expedition II. The expedition crew, Little America, the Antarctic landscape, the United States Ship Bear, and Richard E. Byrd’s aircraft are featured in these images. It is not known who took the photographs. A glass lantern slide projector is also included. This collection also includes the Antarctic Map Folio Series published by the American Geographical Society of New York. The map folios are dated 1964-1975. Geological maps of Antarctica prepared by the United States Geological Survey and a map of the Falkland Islands published by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense are also included in this collection.

The George Frizell, Jr. Photographs and Ephemera Mailed While Serving on Byrd Antarctic Expedition II collections contains eleven photographs, one newspaper clipping about the Bear of Oakland leaving for New Zealand, and one fabric patch commemorating Frizell's time on the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II. The photographs include images of Frizell, Jr, Richard Byrd and other crew members on the Bear of Oakland. Other photographs include images of sled dogs and Antarctic landscapes. Titles of photographs were written on the back of the photographs and are maintained in the collection. Materials are dated circa 1933 to 1934 June 9.

The Fortman Family Antarctica Scrapbook, dated 1932-1947, contains newspaper clippings about Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the Byrd Antarctica Expedition II, the United States Antarctic Service Expedition, and Operation Highjump. The scrapbook has a handmade wooden cover with a wood burned image depicting Byrd's radio towers and the words "Antarctica Scrapbook." The scrapbook was compiled by Myra Williams Fortman, and the scrapbook cover with a wood burned image was created by Floyd Jacob Fortman and Kenneth R. Fortman. A separate folder contains more newspaper clippings and a copy of the General Foods Map of Antarctica (Grape Nuts Map) that were collected by the Fortmans for the scrapbook, but not pasted to the scrapbook pages.

The Eugene L. Boudette Oral History, dated 2002-2009, contains audio recordings, notes, and transcripts of the interview between Boudette and Brian Shoemaker conducted on October 27, 2002. The notes are dated before, during, and after the interview, and the interview transcript was completed in 2009. 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 discussed include ice drilling in the Arctic in Greenland, the Marie Byrd Land Traverse (1959-1960), discovering granite in the Clark Mountains in Antarctica, planning the Victoria Land Traverse (1960-1961), and his diabetes diagnosis.

"Dr. Louis Hauiti Potaka of New Zealand: A Biographical Essay" Manuscript by Bruce Young dates from December 2005, and consists of a typed manuscript. It is a brief biographical essay written by Young that describes what he learned about Potaka's life and participation in the Byrd Antarctic Expedition II through secondary source research. The first version of this essay was published on December 31, 1999; the version in this collection is the revised December 2005 edition.

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 David "Kelly" Welch Papers, dated 1970, 2000-2001, contains photographs of David Welch and the first women scientists to visit the South Pole. This collection also includes an oral history interview on audiocassette where Welch discussed his role as the commander of the United States Naval Support in Antarctica and the United States Antarctic program.

The Daniel Talpas Papers contains materials collected by Talpas before, during, and after his time aboard the U.S.S. Philippine Sea, including a numbered photograph set of the Operation Highjump expedition, and nearly complete runs of the newsletters produced by the ship's crew, including the "Philippine Sea Line" and "Penguin Special." The collection contains general commemorative items available to the crew (stationary, matchbooks, publications), as well as items specific to Talpas, including his Ancient Order of the Deep summons and certificate, and photographs he personally took. The collection also includes Talpas' Plank Owner certificate for the U.S.S. Philippine Sea, as well as a few articles from magazines about the ship and Operation Highjump. Materials date primarily from the time immediately before, during, and after the expedition in 1946-1947, and one article about Admiral Byrd and Operation Highjump dates from 1954.

The Dale R. Reed Oral History, dated 2002, 2009, contains audio recordings, administrative information, and transcripts of the interview between Reed and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on May 6, 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 Reed's two trips to Antarctica during Operation Deep Freeze in 1957 and 1959, and how the trips related to his later career at The Boeing Company.

The Charles Swithinbank Correspondence Received During Service on Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition and Report of Expedition Activities is dated 1962-1966. The correspondence was written by members of the Sixth and Seventh Soviet Antarctic Expedition to Dr. Thomas O. Jones, the director of the National Science Foundation. The correspondence expresses gratitude to American scientists that visited the Soviet Novolazarevskaya ice shelf station. The correspondence, dated 1962-1963, was sent to Charles Swithinbank as reference materials for his visit to Novolazarevskaya. This collection also includes a report written by Charles Swithinbank, Technical Notes on the Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition, 1963-1965. The report provides an introduction on Swithinbank’s purpose for writing the report and how he is the first scientist from the United Kingdom to visit Novolazarevskaya. The report includes details about the supplies and equipment available at the station, the research being conducted, and photographs of the Ninth Soviet Antarctic Expedition members. A letter from Charles Swithinbank to Dr. Thomas Jones about the report is also included.

The Charles Passel Papers, dated 1937-1953, 1971-2004, and 2012, contains notes, correspondence, photograph slides, and black and white photographs from Passel’s time with the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939-1941). Journal articles written by geologists and polar scientists, and a copy of the research paper Passel wrote with Paul Siple, another scientist on United States Antarctic Service Expedition, are also included in this collection. This collection also contains VHS videocassettes recordings of speaking engagements where Passel spoke about his experiences in Antarctica, as well as an oral history interview on audiocassette where he discussed his time on the United States Antarctic Service Expedition. The original VHS videocassettes were created between 1996 and 2004. DVD copies of the VHS videocassettes were created in 2012.

The Carl Hoffmeyer Scrapbook on Operation Deep Freeze I, dated 1955-1957, contains newspaper clippings about the United States’ exploration and research progress during Operation Deep Freeze I. Newspaper clippings about the exploration of Antarctica by the United Kingdom, Russia, New Zealand, and Japan are also included in the scrapbook. Hoffmeyer divided the scrapbook into several sections; the sections are divided by articles that define the purpose of Operation Deep Freeze, the equipment used during the expedition, and the operation’s progress. The last part of the scrapbook has newspaper clippings related to the International Geophysical Year and the death of Admiral Richard E. Byrd.

The Byrd Antarctic Expedition II Collection contains collected materials both from and about Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, some of which date before and after the Expedition. A candlestick from an expedition ship dates from 1884, and the rest of the collection dates from 1928 to 2010, with the bulk of materials dating between 1928 and 1935. The collection includes items such as correspondence from expedition members, artifacts from the United States Ship Bear and the expedition itself, a scrapbook, photocopies of the South Pole Radio News published by the expedition, an account of the trip to rescue Admiral Byrd from Advance Base by a crew member, advertisements by sponsors of the expedition, and postal covers.