The first series contains records for the Committee for an Experimental College, which was known as the Committee for New College after the publication of The New College Plan. The other series in this group contain records of the Education Advisory Committee (1965-66), the Hampshire College Conference (1966), the Making of a College by Hampshire's first president, Franklin Patterson, files of Planning Bulletins and Progress Reports, and files from a number of planning committees formed by early faculty and administrators of the college.

Committee files contain agendas and minutes of meetings, memoranda and reports, and correspondence. The most extensive files are those in Series 1: Committee for an Experimental College. Also present are published reports in Series 7: The Making of a College, and Series 8: Planning Bulletins/Progress Reports. Series 11: Miscellaneous Planning Materials, contains films and audiotapes relating to the planning process.

This collection is organized into twelve series:

• Series 1: Committee for an Experimental College/Committee for New College, 1958-1962
• Series 2: Educational Advisory Committee, 1965-1966
• Series 3: Hampshire College Conference, 1966
• Series 4: Curriculum Committee, 1968-1969
• Series 5: Committee on College Policy, 1969-1970
• Series 6: Planning Committee, 1968-1969
• Series 7: The Making of a College, 1966-1975
• Series 8: Planning Bulletins/Progress Reports, 1969-1975
• Series 9: Building Committee, 1969-1971
• Series 10: Academic Committee, 1969-1970
• Series 11: Miscellaneous Planning Materials, 1966-1977
• Series 12: Compensation Committee, 1968-1970