The first series, Research materials and notes, contains the bulk of the collection and is arranged into seven subseries. Davis intended to use Stokowski as a lens through which to view "the extraordinary transformation which has overtaken Western music since the start of [the 20th] century." For this reason, the collection contains a range of materials, some less directly related to Stokowski than others. Major articles and profiles of Stokowski are collected in the first subseries, Articles and clippings on Stokowski, followed by an assortment of miscellaneous newspaper clippings, and obituaries.

The next subseries, Subject files and notes, gathers materials related to specific topics, some of which relate to an aspect of Stokowski's life and some of which provide broader contextual information. A small portion of these create chronological narratives and are organized by year; most are organized alphabetically by topic. Davis' notes on these subjects often accompany the materials he collected.

A few topics that relate more directly to Stokowski and his family have been separated out into their own subseries: Stokowski in film, radio, and television, which contains transcripts and typescripts; and Collected writings by Stokowski, which includes a few of his original writings, musical compositions, and arrangements.

Genealogical materials consist mostly of copies of documents from London archives, but also include Davis' correspondence about these materials. Concert programs and reviews have been arranged chronologically in their own subseries, and include the 100th anniversary concerts which took place after his death.

Finally, this series also includes a few photocopies of Oliver Daniel's research materials. Daniel was another biographer of Stokowski whose papers are now also housed at the University of Pennsylvania in Ms. Coll. 382. Since these photocopies are duplicates of materials in that collection, they have been placed at the end of the series and are not described in any detail.

The Leopold Stokowski correspondence, which was collected by Davis, gathers a small portion of Stokowski's incoming and outgoing correspondence, both professional and personal, in a mix of original and photocopied documents. A few folders contain letters that are not to or from Stokowski, but relate to him in some way. These letters are arranged alphabetically by author.

Davis conducted a number of interviews with people who had known and worked with Stokowski during his lifetime, or had a professional opinion to offer on Stokowski's personality. These appear to have taken place mainly between 1979 and 1982 and are preserved in audio form on cassette tape and in written form in a series of notes made by Davis. Except in one case (Ismond Rosen), full transcripts were never made.

Aside from Davis' correspondence regarding genealogical materials, which have been kept (according to his own grouping) with those materials in the first series, all of his research correspondence has been collected into one series, Curtis Davis correspondence, which is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. The correspondence consists mainly of logistical communications, focusing particularly on instructions for receiving information and documents. A few letters, however, contain Stokowski-related information and anecdotes in the letters themselves.

Along with the interviews (and perhaps some of Stokowski's correspondence), Davis' drafts for his biography are the most unique items in this collection. In addition to some preliminary sketches and a book proposal, Davis drafted a preface and seventeen chapters, of which two are missing.

Leopold Stokowski photographs and slides have been collected in the final series. These document nearly all of Stokowski's life and include professional shots of him at rehearsals and television appearances, etc., as well as personal photographs of Stokowski with friends and family.