The Herbert Simon Collection comprises 80 cu. ft. of papers arranged in 12 topical series.

The collection includes: scientific papers by Simon and others; project reports and research proposals; lecture materials, book and paper drafts, publications and journal article reprints; personal papers and awards; and external correspondence, Carnegie Mellon interoffice memoranda, and e-mail.

A working knowledge of economic studies, artificial intelligence, computer science, and cognitive psychology would assist in understanding the collection. Recommended reading includes Administrative Behavior (1947), his autobiography, Models of My Life (1991), and materials in the Allen Newell Collection, such as Edward Feigenbaum's memoir "What Hath Simon Wrought?" (1990), and the Newell-Simon authored A. M. Turing Award lecture, "Computer Science as Empirical Inquiry: Symbols and Search" (1975). For further basic information on the Simon-Newell association, consult the University Archives' Allen Newell Collection.