Arranged alphabetically.

This series consists of general materials about Birkby's life, finances, and education. Included are such materials as clippings, curriculum vitae, legal papers, class notes and drawings, portfolio materials, scrapbooks, and sketchbooks.

This series consists primarily of incoming correspondence. The few surviving drafts of outgoing letters are interfiled with the incoming by the name of the correspondent. The series is arranged in two subseries: Individuals, containing letters or cards from major correspondents (3 or more letters) filed alphabetically; and General, filed chronologically. Undated general correspondence is filed alphabetically at the end of the subseries.

This series consists of materials related to Birkby's work as an architect and architectural consultant, and to architecture in general. It is arranged in three subseries: General, Projects, and Subject Files.

Materials filed in the General subseries pertain to Birkby's employment and certification as an architect and architectural consultant. Included are correspondence, bids, applications, minutes, and reports.

The Projects subseries, consists of materials related to architectural projects for which Birkby played a design role. Included are, bids, evaluations, drawings, specifications, contracts, notes, and miscellaneous materials. Standard-sized materials are arranged alphabetically by name of client or, where applicable, by name of project. Oversize materials are stored separately in flat files. They are arranged alphabetically by name of client or, where applicable, by the name of the project.

Materials in the Subject Files, consist of clippings, articles, booklets, pamphlets related to architecture. They are arranged alphabetically by subject.

This series consists of notes, drafts, manuscripts, published articles and books, subject files, research materials, publicity materials, and clippings related to Birkby's research, writing projects, lectures, and workshops. The series is arranged in two subseries: General and Women and the Built Environment. General material is arranged alphabetically by title of work (if any) or by topic (when untitled). The Women and the Built Environment subseries is divided into nine sections reflecting the various materials produced or collected as a part of this project: Published Writings; Lectures, Conferences, and Workshops; Research Project; Curriculum Proposals; Fantasy Drawings; Book Proposals; Women's Vernacular Architecture and Buildings for Women; Grant Proposals; and Subject Files.

This series consists of correspondence, applications, minutes, notes, curricular materials, copies of student work, and reference and miscellaneous materials related to Birkby's work as a teacher. General materials and applications for employment are filed at the beginning of the series. They are followed by materials related to work at specific institutions which are filed alphabetically by the name of institution.

This series consists of clippings, memorabilia, pamphlets, position papers, manuscripts, posters, publicity materials, etc., about individual women, women's issues, and homosexuality. It is divided into three subseries: Individuals (filed alphabetically by name), Women, and Homosexuality, each arranged alphabetically by subject.

This series is divided into three subseries by format: Photographic prints, Negatives, and Slides and Transparencies. Photographic prints and Slides and Transparencies are divided into the following categories: Personal; Artistic Photography; Architecture; Miscellaneous; Political; Research, Speaking, and Writing; Teaching; and Travel. Negatives are numbered and arranged consecutively.

Personal includes photographs of Birkby, her family, friends, homes, and pets. Artistic Photography reflects Birkby's use of photography as a medium of artistic expression and consists of photographs of cityscapes, scenery, flowers, etc. Architecture consists of photographs of buildings taken for study or to document projects designed by Birkby. Political consists of photographs of political actions, primarily marches and demonstrations. Research, Speaking, and Writing consists of photographs taken to illustrate research on elderly housing and women and the built environment. Teaching consists of photographs used in teaching and of projects done by Birkby's students. Travel consists of photographs taken to document the sights seen on a variety of trips.

Negatives have not survived for every print in the Papers. Where applicable, negative numbers are noted on the reverse side of the corresponding photographic prints.

This series is divided into three subseries by type of material: Written material, Films, and Videotapes. Written material is filed alphabetically by the name of the film project. Films are divided into sections as follows: Architecture, Art Films, Personal, Political and Travel. Architecture consists of films taken to document the built environment. Some are documentation of projects Birkby designed, others are buildings or spaces Birkby visited. The Art Films demonstrate Birkby's use of film as a means of artistic expression. Personal consists of "home movies" of friends and family. Political consists of documentary footage of political actions. Travel is made up of films taken on a variety of trips. Within each section films are filed alphabetically by title, or if they were untitled, by subject. Titles that were written by Birkby on the film or the box in which the film was stored are listed in quotation marks.

Videotapes are divided into two sections: Original videotapes, filed chronologically, followed by videotape Film Transfers of selected films by Birkby produced for the Sophia Smith Collection in 1997. [see Appendix for descriptive list of films].

Original films and videotapes are closed to research. In some cases, Use copies have been made from the originals. These are marked with an asterisk [*]. Researchers interested in viewing films or videotapes for which there is no use copy should contact the Sophia Smith Collection to discuss options.

Tape recordings are divided into two subseries by format: Cassettes and Reel-to-reel. Within the subseries, tapes are arranged in sections as follows: Personal; Political; Architecture; Films; Research, Speaking, and Writing; and Teaching.

Personal tapes include audio letters, consciousness raising group sessions, therapy sessions, a psychic reading, and performances by some of Birkby's friends. They are arranged alphabetically by subject or title.

Political recordings document marches, demonstrations, rallies, speeches, conference presentations, and interviews. They are arranged chronologically with the undated tapes filed at the end of the section.

Architecture tapes consist primarily of speeches by others. Films consists of soundtracks, research interviews, and unedited sound recordings made for use with film footage.

Research, Speaking, and Writing contains four tapes related to Birkby's research on housing for the elderly along with extensive recordings made as part of the project on Women and the Built Environment. The elderly housing tapes consist of meetings and discussions about this subject. The Women and the Built Environment tapes are divided into sections: Environmental Fantasy Discussions (free-ranging interview sessions with small groups of women); Lectures, Workshops, and Conference Presentations (recordings of presentations by Birkby, sometimes in collaboration with Leslie Kanes Weisman); Women's Vernacular Architecture (interviews with women about structures they had built); and Reference (mainly lectures by colleagues on this topic).

Teaching consists of recordings of Birkby's classes at various institutions.

Original tape recordings are closed to research. In some cases, Use copies have been made from the originals. These are marked with an asterisk [*]. Researchers interested in access to tape recordings for which there is no use copy should contact the Sophia Smith Collection to discuss options.