The Glady Gilkey Calkins Papers consist of .75 linear ft. of biographical materials, clippings, correspondence, diaries, family memorabilia, photographs, speeches, and writings, dating from 1895 to 1988. The papers document her family and personal life, overseas travel, and her work on behalf of the YWCA and other religious and social service organizations.

The bulk of the papers date from 1931 to 1960 and consist of diaries written during the Calkins family's 1932-33 trip to Europe, and during Calkins' later travels with Marie Berger to Africa and Asia. The correspondence, speeches, and writings primarily document Calkins' volunteer work for a variety of organizations. The YWCA files include Calkins' 1960 Masters thesis "The Negro in the Young Women's Christian Association: A Study of the Development of YWCA Interracial Policies and Practices in Their Historical Setting." Other YWCA files document her role in a variety of national, regional, and local YWCA meetings.