The Allen Newell Collection comprises 116 cu. ft. of papers arranged in 12 topical series. The collection also contains 12 cu. ft. of audio cassettes, 35mm slides, videotapes, photographic negatives, glass plate (lantern) slides, and computer tapes.

The collection includes: scientific papers, project reports, manuals and proposals by Newell, his Carnegie Mellon colleagues and others; computer programming instructions, printouts, and cognitive experiment data; teaching materials and student files containing papers and correspondence; lecture materials and conference information; publications and journal reprints; and external correspondence, Carnegie Mellon interoffice memoranda, and e-mail printouts.

A working knowledge of artificial intelligence, computer science, and cognitive psychology would assist in understanding the collection. Recommended reading includes Human Problem Solving and Unified Theories of Cognition, the Newell memorial items contained in the Publications series, as well as Herbert Simon's autobiography Models of My Life (1991), pp. 135-168, 189-234, etc.