The Lois Laughlin papers date from 1939 to 2007 and measure 2.5 linear feet. This collection consists largely of Laughlin's personal material. It contains forty volumes of diaries, which date from 1953 to 2007. Laughlin wrote about parenting, marriage, books, health, dreams, and lectures she attended. Lois Laughlin compiled a spiral bound collection of newspaper clippings and correspondence concerning her husband's status as a conscientious objector, Don Laughlin: Fragments from a Life, 1948-1974; included in this book are copies of his FBI file and a pardon from President John F. Kennedy.

This collection includes correspondence between Laughlin and her friends and family. Most of the correspondence written between 1938 and 1949 was damaged in a fire, including personal letters between Lois and Don Laughlin written in 1949, while Don served a prison term for refusing to comply with the Selective Service Act. Lois Laughlin prepared an index of the damaged letters; she recorded the content of the burned letters to the best of her recollection. This collection also includes information related to the deaths of daughters Janet and Ruth. Photographs of the Laughlin family complete the collection.