The papers are divided into eight series: CORRESPONDENCE, CHICAGO CLOTHING MARKET UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE MATERIALS, RESEARCH FILES, SPEECHES AND ARTICLES, BOOKS AND ARTICLES, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, UNIVERSITY FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS. The papers document not only Commons' involvement in the field of economics, specifically industrial and labor relations, but also the development of Commons' numerous publications which have had a valuable influence on modern economic thought.

The CORRESPONDENCE series, 1859-1967 (bulk 1894-1938), is arranged chronologically. Among the correspondents are Richard T. Ely, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, and later at the University of Wisconsin; J.B. Andrews, member of the American Bureau of Industrial Research; U.B. Phillips, professor at Tulane University and associate editor of Documentary History of American Industrial Society; H.W. Furnam, member of the Carnegie Institution, professor at Yale and member of the American Economic Association; R.M. Easley, secretary of the National Civic Federation; Robert F. Hooey, professor at the University of Chicago; V. Evert Macy, president of the National Civic Foundation and foremost in civic work in New York; Helen Sumner (later Mrs. Robert Morse Woodbury), researcher for the Documentary History of American Industrial Society; R.M. La Follette; Norman Lombard, president of the Stable Money Association; Clara Commons, John R. Commons' sister, secretary, and research assistant; and Selig Perlman, graduate student under Commons and later faculty member in the economics department at the University of Wisconsin. An index to the correspondents can be found at the beginning of the series.

The CHICAGO CLOTHING MARKET UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE MATERIALS series, 1920-1928, relate to a plan conceived by Commons and tested in one Chicago industry. Commons began to expand his ideas concerning unemployment in 1921. His plan would make employers responsible for their own unemployed workers, instead of placing the burden on society. The Amalgamated Clothing Workers called for a market “fund” wherein contributions of all establishments and all employees would be merged in a common fund and paid to all unemployed clothing workers. Employers contended that separate establishment funds ought to be created so they would not be responsible for unemployment funds that would go to their competitors' employees. Finally, the union agreed to management's position and Commons' plan provided for “establishment funds” with separate boards of administration. After the plan was administered in the Chicago clothing market, Commons brought all of the proceedings, agreements and records (the material in this series) to Madison where he and his students worked on drafting and devising the first state unemployment insurance bill, adopted by Wisconsin in 1932.

The materials in the RESEARCH FILES series, 1904-1937, are the result of Commons' research on projects for state and federal government agencies. These projects cover a multitude of economic subjects which are presented in a variety of written forms such as notes, newspaper clippings, leaflets and pamphlets, government and committee reports, mailing lists, minutes and financial accounts of various economic organizations, bills and other legislative drafts, legal decisions concerning economic issues, statistical charts and surveys, correspondence, telegrams, government bulletins and publications. The material is organized alphabetically, and includes files on topics ranging from the American Bureau of Industrial Research to the Wisconsin Bureau of Economic Research.

The SPEECHES AND ARTICLES series, 1908-1933, include those presented at formal gatherings relating to topics such as labor problems, industrial relations, child labor, and price stabilization.

The BOOKS AND ARTICLES series, circa 1905-circa 1933, includes manuscript copies of Reasonable Value by Commons (1925), chapters 1, 3, 6, and 8-13. This book presents ideas concerning the concept that “reasonable value” is purely objective. Many applications of the ideas set down in this book are found in two of Commons' other works, Legal Foundations of Capitalism (1924) and Institutional Economics (1934). This material also contains various versions of Reasonable Value annotated by E.W. Morehouse; Morehouse's analysis of “Cost and Surplus Elements in Wages,” developed on the basis of “Methods of Analysis in Reasonable Value;” and correspondence, 1925-1926, relating to Reasonable Value.

Extracts from cases cited in Legal Foundations of Capitalism, are found among the manuscripts. There are also articles by Commons relating to topics such as “Farm Price and the Value of Gold,” and “Efficiency and the Value of Gold.” There is an outline, notes and correspondence on American labor history concerning the collection of materials for a Documentary History of Labor Movements in the United States.

The NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS series, 1887-1943, relate to Commons' work and writing, his unemployment insurance plan and his life in general. Also includes scrapbooks of articles arranged chronologically and topically.

The UNIVERSITY FILE series, 1908-1967 (bulk 1920-1938), includes a variety of correspondence, records, and special studies relating to intramural activities of Commons at the University of Wisconsin, 1919-1936. In addition, there is post-Commons material, 1945-1967, relating to special funds, the Labor Research Library and other matters. Also included are student papers, 1908-1929, consisting of term papers, seminar papers, theses and reports submitted to Commons by his students. The papers are arranged alphabetically by the students' last names. Most of the papers were submitted for Commons' courses “Public Value” and “Value and Valuation.” These courses dealt with a comparison of legal and economic theories of value. Other student papers written for course work dealt with such topics as labor unions, labor legislation, labor management, and immigration.

The VISUAL MATERIALS series, circa 1881-1934, consists of photographs including portraits and snapshots in an album assembled by Commons' son. Photographs include images from throughout the early life of the son, of family homes and from family events.