The Helen Buckler Papers covers the period of 1916-1970, with the bulk of the materials in this collection from the 1930s through 1950s. It documents a woman's work in addressing various social issues such as women and race during 1920s-1950s. Although Buckler was very active in community involvement, such as the Boerum Hill Association, running for state assembly, and committees, this collection does not provide evidential and informational materials relating to her political involvements and committee activities. This collection contains drafts and the research process for numerous manuscripts and promotional materials for activities in which Buckler took part.
The collection is organized into four series: PROFESSIONAL, PERSONAL, ACADEMIC, and PHOTOGRAPHS. The first and largest series is PROFESSIONAL, which is divided into two sub-series: Writings and Professional Endeavors. The Writings sub-series are further divided into Manuscripts, Poems, Published Materials, Financial, Research Materials, and Awards. The Manuscripts materials contains numerous manuscripts written by Buckler arranged in alphabetical order. Types of materials found in these files include drafts, research materials and notes, and correspondence related to the manuscripts. Of particular note are the materials related to several of Buckler's projects including her book Doctor Dan: Pioneer in American Surgery, as well as materials for a biography of Grimod de la Reynière, and materials related to race. The Doctor Dan materials include correspondence from her publishing company and correspondence from friends and family congratulating Buckler. Also included are two articles by Buckler about Doctor Dan, but there are no drafts or copies of the actual book Doctor Dan in this collection. The materials about the biography of Grimod de la Reynière include drafts of four different manuscripts about de la Reynière, research materials in French and English, photocopies of Reynière's works (in French), and correspondence. The materials on race consist of three separate manuscripts relating to race as well as research materials and correspondence.
Aside from writing manuscripts, Buckler wrote several poems which are included in the Writings sub-series. The Published Materials contains newspaper clippings and articles of some her published materials. They are two oversize folders consisting of newspaper clippings compiled by Buckler on materials she published. Correspondence from publishing companies to and from Ms. Buckler pertaining to her work and manuscripts are located in the Publishing Companies Correspondence. The Research Materials contains research ideas, materials, and notes, as well as unidentified research materials that potentially could correlate to her manuscripts. These Research Materials are primarily newspaper clippings. Awards include honors from the National Council of Negro Women for her work on Doctor Dan as well as an honor from Delta Delta Delta.
Professional Endeavors includes promotional materials, correspondence, and newsletters with which Buckler was affiliated. This consists of involvements with the Cooperative Movement, Camp Fire Girls, Metropolitan Center for Mental Health, Methodist Committee for Overseas Relief, National Council of Presbyterian Women, National Urban League, Tuberculosis Prevention, YWCA, and National Council of Negro Women. Of particular note are Cooperative Movement lecture notes and materials from Buckler's travels to co-ops in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and New York State.
The PERSONAL series is divided into Correspondence and Personal Endeavors. Correspondence includes personal correspondence from friends and family to and from Buckler. It is arranged chronologically from 1923-1970 and includes some division of personal friends such as Wanda Gag, Oswald Garrison Villard, Winifred Rawlins, and Langston Hughes. Personal Endeavors contains Christmas card designs and drafts created by Buckler, letters of recommendation, job seeking materials, and a Personology Analysis report performed by Robert L. Whiteside on Buckler in 1959.
The ACADEMIC series includes articles and materials written from 1916-1922 while Buckler was a student at the University of Illinois. They are arranged by year.
The PHOTOGRAPHS series contains images of Buckler's travels to co-ops, and portraits.
