The Margaret Talcott Boedeker papers date from 1937 to 1998 and measure four linear inches. The collection is arranged in four series: Family, School, Teaching, and Volunteer activities. The bulk of this collection is comprised of photographs from Boedeker's teaching positions at various Bureau of Indian Affairs schools between 1941 and 1958 and documents relating to her work promoting tourism in northeast Iowa from 1991 to 1998.

The Family series (c.1940-1960) contains undated photographs of her parents, sister Gladys Talcott Rife, and other unidentified family members. Many photographs include children in rural settings.

The School series (1937-1998) consists primarily of group and individual photographs of her dormitory roommates from Alice Freeman Hall at Iowa State University. There are also a few round robin letters from 1986 to 1996 that represent a small fraction of the continuous correspondence between Alice Freeman Hall friends since their graduation in 1941.

The Teaching series (1941-1958) contains identified and unidentified photographs of the various locations at which she taught: Red Lake, Minnesota (1941-1944); Araibi, Arizona (1944-1947); Macy, Nebraska (1947-1948); Carson City, Nevada summer school (1948); Wrangle, Alaska (1948-1949); White Mountain, Alaska (1949-1951); and Pine Ridge, South Dakota (1952-58). This series also contains correspondence written to her sister Gladys Rife from Araibi, Wrangell, White Mountain, and Pine Ridge. There is one Summary Report of Student Employment from Pine Ridge (1957). There is one audiocassette, recorded in 1999, in which Margaret Boedeker offers details about her teaching positions and the photographs in the collection.

The Volunteer series (1987-1998) contains certificates of her status as a member of the Commission of Persons with Disabilities (1991), her activity with her church, and material relating to her activities promoting tourism in northeastern Iowa.