The Edna Means papers date from 1908 to 1986 and measure 2.5 linear feet. The papers are arranged in seven series: Biography, Yearbooks, Diaries, Scrapbooks, Writings, Photographs, and Artifacts.

The first series, Biography (1916-1980), consists chiefly of three obituary notices and an article on her career from the Waterloo Courier.

The second series, Yearbooks (1908-1914), contains four yearbooks, three from Highland Park College in Des Moines, Iowa, and one from Emerson College of Oratory in Boston.

The third series, Diaries (1922-1936), consists of six diaries ranging in date from 1922 to 1936. The diaries typically record, in very cryptic fashion, Means' travel experiences giving the day by day locations of her performances throughout the United States. The entries frequently record the name of the sponsoring organization, the venue of the performance, i.e., theater, auditorium, church, or school, the name of her hotel or host family, the size of her crowd and a brief indication of its response to her program. The entries sometimes conclude with the titles of the readings she performed that day. The entries for the periods of time she spent at home either in Tama or in Chicago are devoted more to her family and social contacts, social and cultural events attended, rehearsal sessions for herself, auditions of new talent for the Redpath Lyceum Bureau, and business meetings with representatives of the Bureau.

The fourth series, Scrapbooks (1912-1945), contains six scrapbooks dating from approximately 1912 to approximately 1945 and are devoted entirely to Means' collection of publicity materials from the Redpath Lyceum Bureau, letters of reference and commendation sent to Means or to the Bureau, printed programs of events at which she performed, and newspaper clippings containing reviews of her performances, the latter having been sent to her by chautauqua agents or by the organization sponsoring her appearance. Most of the items in the early scrapbooks are undated or have had their dates obliterated, making it difficult to establish a chronology or itinerary of her travels or to link these scrapbooks to activities described by date in her diaries.

The fifth series, Writings (1914?-1986), contains an undated notebook entitled "Evolution of Expression" which appears to be a set of notes for a lecture. The series also contains two printed catalogs dated 1978 and 1986 respectively, listing all of the published monologues, orations, and humorous and dramatic readings available from the Edna Means Dramatic Service.

The sixth series, Photographs (1911?-1980) consists of two subseries. The first, Albums, consists of three photographic scrapbooks, almost all of which are undated. They run the gamut from family and friends, to school activities and dramatic performances, to all manner of activities, persons, and places connected with her performances on the chautauqua circuit. The second subseries, Portraits, contains photographs taken in 1980 of the Means residence in Tama, Iowa, which served also as the offices of the Edna Means Dramatic Service. Eleanor Ogden, Means' friend and business associate, appears in some of the interior views of the offices. The bulk of the unframed photographs consist of approximately forty professional portraits of Means taken at various stages throughout her career. Also in this series are three framed photographs, one inscribed "Edna [Means] with Minstrels (Chautauqua)"; a framed portrait of Conrad Nagel inscribed "With love and best wishes to the teacher who 'learned me all I know.' Conrad"; and a framed, inscribed portrait of Elias Day.

The seventh and last series, Artifacts, contains five mementos of Means' career, chief of which are an engraved silver cup and a Phi Mu Gamma pin, both dated 1910 and presumed to have been received while attending Emerson College of Oratory in Boston.

A gift copy of James W. Foley's, Some One Like You (1915), presented to Means by Elias Day in 1936, has been removed to the printed works collection and cataloged separately.