The collection consists of miscellaneous papers of Kenneth Binns, mostly written or acquired after he retired as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Librarian and National Librarian in 1947. They include letters, notes, official documents, newspaper cuttings, photographs and a few publications. In addition, there are papers of Joan Binns relating to the life of her father and the history of the National Library, in particular letters of Andrew Osborn and drafts of an unpublished biography of Kenneth Binns by Osborn.