The Administrative Files (Subseries 1) contain materials that were generated by the project in the course of its operation. Included are photocopies and original mimeographs of correspondence, internal memos, reports to the National Endowment for the Humanities, lists of people and materials, contact information, forms, proposals, notes, transcript headings, release forms for documents and interviews, and a card file of addresses and sources of information. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.

The Research Files (Subseries 2) were created by project staff for their own use in preparing for the exhibit. Most of the materials in these files are photocopies of items located in the Black Mountain College Records. Once photocopies were made they were rearranged by project staff into subject categories, which are in many cases different from those found in the college records. However, since the focus of the project was only on the arts at BMC, the research files as gathered by the BMCRP do not reflect the total scope of information that is available in the Black Mountain College Records. The types of photocopied materials found in the research files include correspondence, excerpts from minutes of faculty meetings, newspaper and magazine articles, programs, bulletins, brochures, newsletters, community lists, publicity flyers, examiners' reports, class schedules, etc. These materials are organized into general information about the college, summer sessions, departmental files, and files about people connected to the college. The files on individuals sometimes include original items, usually related to their work at the time of the research project. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.

Questionnaires (Subseries 3) were sent to former Black Mountain College students and faculty as a preliminary step before interviews were done. Resumes were requested and many are attached. In some cases, correspondence and personal reminiscences were sent back with the questionnaire. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.

Interviews (Subseries 4) contains audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted by the Black Mountain College Research Project with former BMC students, faculty and related individuals. Some of these materials were not released before the project ended and are currently not available for research.

Donated Materials (Subseries 5) contains information for use in the planned exhibit and materials that were given to the project. Included are photocopies or originals of class papers, student notes, exams, diaries, personal reminiscences, correspondence, architectural drawings, newspaper and journal articles, programs, bulletins, newsletters, brochures, community lists, publicity flyers, sheet music, poetry and creative writings. Project staff obtained written releases for both the use of these materials by the project and later deposit with a research institution. Some materials were not formally released, and are therefore unavailable for research until a written release can be obtained.

College Publications (Subseries 6) contains original materials that were published for or by Black Mountain College and were later purchased by or donated to the research project. These materials include announcements, bulletins, newsletters, community bulletins, forms, literary publications, postcards, programs, publicity flyers and brochures. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.

Books (Subseries 7) includes books, pamphlets and other published materials that were bought by or donated to the research project. This subseries includes reference works relating to the modern arts, materials written by or about people connected with Black Mountain College, poetry and essays, and exhibition catalogues. All of these materials are unrestricted and available for research.

Visual materials (Subseries 8) includes photographs, negatives, and slides that were donated to the project or were taken by project staff. These images document objects created by BMC artists, drama and music performances, college life, classes, students and faculty, summer sessions, architecture, and the work program. Some of these materials are currently unreleased and not available for research. This series also includes object cards which were created by the research project in order to keep track of objects created by artists before, during or after their time at Black Mountain College. The cards include the name of the artist (if known), title or subject, date, medium, dimensions, location, owner and other information.