The Herwil M. Bryant Papers, dated circa 1930s-circa 2000s, contain materials that Herwil M. Bryant created or collected while serving on the United States Antarctic Service Expedition from 1939-1941. This includes his journals, both the handwritten originals and photocopies and typed transcriptions of the originals. Also included are photographs, negatives, and photographic slides that he created during the expedition as well as correspondence, notes, press clippings, objects, and ephemera. In addition, the papers contain notes and other materials related to lectures Bryant gave about Antarctica and his experiences during the U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition, including lectures he gave aboard Antarctic cruises. Photographs he took during Antarctic cruises are also included. There are two USB flash drives that contain digital files of Bryant’s U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition journals and photographs as well as narrations he recorded after the expedition. Also included is an unidentified reel of 16mm film.

The Lisle A. Rose Papers, dated 1947-2014, contains photographs, diaries, oral history interviews and transcripts, periodicals, slides, a yearbook, reports and correspondence primarily regarding Rose's participation in Operation Deep Freeze II and his role as Polar Affairs officer for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs (OES). Correspondence includes a letter from Rose's brother Dave dated January 1947, to Rose's parents, while Dave was on Operation Highjump. The collection also includes Deep Freeze II stamps and envelopes as well as photocopies of other polar explorers' papers.

The Martin Sponholz Papers, dated 1965-1968, are photographic slides of pictures Martin Sponholz took while he was a member of Operation Deepfreeze-66 Expedition and the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. Sponholz numbered and wrote captions beneath the slides. Those numbers and captions are used in the inventory list as titles. The slides marked DF relate to the United States Antarctic Research Program’s Deepfreeze-66 Expedition at Plateau Station, dating 1965-1966. The photographs Sponholz took on this expedition feature the building of the Plateau Station and its facilities, tools and instruments used to measure wind and temperature, and Antarctica’s landscape. The slides marked J relate to the photographs Sponholz took on Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, dating 1967-1968. The photographs Sponholz took on this expedition feature meteorology equipment, Antarctica’s landscape and animals, and Syowa Base.

The Ned A. Ostenso Papers consists of 1,346 35mm slides, many captioned, that document Ostenso's work in Antarctica from 1956-1959, and the Arctic in 1961 and 1965. The collection also contains a biographical file for Ostenso, which dates from 1956-1997, and includes obituaries, resumes and articles.

The Philip M. Smith Papers, dated circa 1898-1935 and 1954-2013, contains photographs, slides, postal covers, publications, reports, newspaper clippings, treaties, artifacts, certificates and maps, which document Smith's career in administration of research in the Polar Regions, as well as his own fieldwork. Some of the artifacts and framed prints contain materials such as paintings and signs that predate Smith's career and relate to polar explorers, including British explorers, and to landscapes.

The Robert Dodson Papers, dated 1942-2023, contain materials that relate to Robert Dodson’s experiences as a member of the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition. Also included are some materials about the experiences of other expedition members. Major topics include dog-sled driving, camp conditions, the rescue of Harries-Clichy Peterson, and Dodson’s role testing clothing and other equipment for the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. The materials include documents, such as publications, reports, and equipment specifications, diaries, and scrapbooks of press clippings. Also included are photographic slides, photographs, and audio recordings of oral history interviews with Dodson. One of the oral history interviews is from a series of polar oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program. Administrative information and transcripts of this interview are included in addition to the audio recording.