The collection consists primarily of lecture notes and course-related notebooks maintained by designer Carolyn Nesbitt Wagenseller ('63) during her studies in Parsons School of Design's Interior Design Department.

The Parsons School of Design Centenary Oral History Project consists of recorded sound interviews with twelve individuals as well as two audio monologues by the project's manager, Martica Sawin. The interviews, recorded in 1994, cover the history of different academic departments and design disciplines over the course of the twentieth century as experienced by former and then-current instructors and administrators. Recordings are all in English.

This ongoing oral history program documents the lives and work of designers, artists, and others active in the fields of art and design. Interviewees include Parsons School of Design alumni, faculty, and professionals without a direct Parsons connection.

Stanley Barrows (1914-1995) graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1940 and taught interior design there for over twenty years, becoming mentor to several generations of notable designers. The collection includes examples of student work compiled by Barrows, course outlines, class travel itineraries, photographs of Italian decorative styles, biographical material, and correspondence from Barrows related to his work as a designer and teacher.

The collection consists of five photograph albums and two scrapbooks compiled by the designer, style arbiter, and Parsons School of Design administrator and president Van Day Truex (1904-1979). Truex's travels and social interactions are documented in captioned photographs. A third scrapbook of unknown origin, annotated by Parsons faculty member Stanley Barrows, documents Truex's apartments and the home of his predecessor as president of Parsons, William Odom.