As head of the Department of Correspondence Study at the University of Wisconsin, Lighty worked closely with Charles R. Van Hise, Louis E. Reber, Frank A. Hutchins, Richard T. Ely, Charles McCarthy, Henry E. Legler, and others in an effort to develop a program in the Extension Division that would meet the needs of citizens of widely different levels of ability and preparation. Lighty's voluminous correspondence includes letters to and from University administrators and members of the faculty, students, and other persons interested in the extension movement. The collection reflects especially his participation in the organization and development of the National University Extension Association; his interest in the administration and program of the Summer School of Ethics conducted in Madison, 1908-1911, under the directorship of Anna Garlin Spencer; and his promotion of a radio station at the University and experimentation with it as a new medium of education.

The correspondence also reflects Lighty's participation in community affairs in St. Louis and Madison: his activities in the Missouri Historical Society, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Madison Tenth Ward Association, the Saturday Lunch Club, and the Madison Board of commerce. A few family letters and some personal business and financial papers are present too.

Extension Division records in the collection relate primarily to the correspondence study department. They include assorted statistical and narrative reports; correspondence of lecturers and instructors concerning courses and textbooks; and correspondence with students. Though frequently routine in nature, the records contain information on the scope of the program of the Extension Division throughout the state and on the methods by which it was expanded.