The records, which document almost the entire history of the club and which concern both the administration of the organization and its musical activities, consist of by-laws, minutes, correspondence, programs, study notes, yearbooks, financial records, news clippings, background information, and miscellany. Photographs received with the collection are part of the name file in the Visual Materials Archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
The historical background file consists of three brief histories of the organization and programs and news clippings on its 25th and 50th anniversaries. A booklet on the 25th anniversary contains letters of congratulations and a list of former members. Also located here is information on the decision to dissolve in 1985 including copies of a questionnaire filled out by members, minutes, and information on the final disposition of the organization's funds.
The largest portion of the administrative records consist of minutes (1916-1985). Included with the minutes are attendance records, proceedings of regular and executive committee meetings, and scattered reports of the secretaries and treasurers. Some news clippings and performance programs are also interspersed with the minutes.
Documenting the musical activities of the club are programs and yearbooks. A quite extensive collection of programs (1912-1986) provides broad information on the date, hostess or leader of each meeting, musical selections performed, and papers presented. Scattered news clippings can be found with some typewritten program pages. The yearbooks are even more complete (1913-1986). They variously include the year's musical programs, leaders for each meeting, occasional lists of subjects of study, the constitution and by-laws, and lists of active and associate members. Related to the musical activity is a small folder of study notes filed with the miscellany containing a criticism of the opera Elektra (circa 1914) and a paper on the “Modern Tendencies in Music,” 1925. Also included is a guide prepared in 1966 to all subjects which had been previously studied by the club.
Additional miscellaneous files include several annual financial reports of the treasurer from 1966 through the dissolution of the organization, information on ticket sales on concerts sponsored by the club, a file on committee work during the club's later years, and Xeroxed copies of loose clippings concerning activities. Two scrapbooks of additional clippings included in the collection are available only on microfilm. The first book (1915-1936) contains publicity and reviews and a few concert programs not included elsewhere in the papers. Of special note here are two letters from French women expressing thanks for the music club's monetary contributions for children after World War I. The second scrapbook contains news clippings about lectures and activities of the College Club, the La Crosse branch of the American Association of University Women, which held joint yearly meetings with the Music Study Club between the years 1929-1936.
