The Susan Boyd papers date from 1929 to 2012 and measure 4.5 linear feet. The papers are arranged in seven series: Biographical material, Activities, Short Stories, Non-Fiction Articles, Newspaper clippings, Scrapbook preservation, and Photographs. The bulk of this collection consists of Boyd's writing, both fiction and non-fiction.

Biographical material (1929-2006) includes the script and score from the musical tribute to Susan Boyd, 'It's a great day', which have been removed from their original binder for preservation. The series also contains newspaper clippings and magazine articles about Boyd, correspondence with friends and editors, and programs from Minneapolis Star and Tribune and University of Iowa functions. A magazine article featuring Boyd's father completes the series.

The Activities series (1930-2012) contains materials from various activities that Boyd participated in throughout her life. The series includes awards, a music book, an autograph book, and invitations and programs to events in Chicago including dinners for foreign dignitaries.Correspondence and photographs of Boyd's involvement in various organizations during her time in Chicago include the Field Natural History Museum, Urban Gateways and Know Your Chicago, and her role as First Lady at the University of Iowa are also included in this series.

Short Stories and Non-Fiction articles (1942-1990) consist of stories and articles written by Boyd that were published in magazines such as Mademoiselle, The Writer, and Redbook, as well as her work for school books in the early 1960s. Her correspondence with agents and publishers and programs of writers' conferences are also included.

The Newspaper clippings (1947-1961 and undated) are articles Boyd wrote while employed at the Minneapolis Star and Tribune.

The Scrapbook series (1951-1981) contains Boyd's scrapbooks documenting her Wellesley college years, including photographs, programs, and notes. In addition, it includes scrapbooks of clippings from her work as a journalist for Mademoiselle and the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. The final scrapbook documents her life in Iowa City as the wife of the University of Iowa president. In the course of the preservation work, some loose items were removed and placed in separate folders in the series. In addition, some scrapbooks of articles were photocopied onto acid-free paper for preservation.

Photographs series (1948-2003) contains photographs from Boyd's work as a writer, her life at the University of Iowa, and her activities in Chicago.