The Maude Esther White papers date from 1957 to 1996 and measure 8 linear inches. The papers are arranged in five series: Biographical information, Correspondence, Des Moines Tutoring Center, Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans, and Photographs.

The Biographical information series (1966, 1972-1996) comprises materials about Maude White's life, including newspaper clippings and articles about and by White and her family. Awards, certificates of honor, and nomination materials for the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame complete the series.

The Correspondence series (1976-1996) consists primarily of personal notes of appreciation and congratulations to Maude White.

Materials about the Des Moines Tutoring Center and statistical reports on the Center are represented in the Des Moines Tutoring Center series (1984-1993). Four videocassettes are devoted to Center programs, including the Asian program, the Model Cities program, one at the YWCA, and a program, "Reaching for the Stars Without Drugs." A short interview with White is also included.

The series Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans (1991, 1995) includes the research report on education written by the educational and cultural committee, which White chaired.

The Photographs series (1957-1989 and undated) includes some family photographs but comprises primarily snapshots and slides of Tutoring Center activities. Most of the photographs have been disbound from a scrapbook. A sample of these photographs was selected to illustrate the various activities of the Tutoring Center.

It includes photographs of Maude White, her colleagues and students at the Center, as well as the field trips and recreational activities sponsored by the Center.