The Guides provide an overview of all collections at the Historical Papers Research Archive. The descriptions are provided on Fonds level.

The collections housed at Historical Papers include diaries, letters, memoranda, reports, minute-books, press clippings, pamphlets, photographs, drawings, maps, oral interviews, trial transcripts and financial, legal and personal documents. They are contained in various formats such as paper based records, microfiche, microfilm, photographs, slides, negative and positive film, tapes, DVD and CDs, audiovisual formats and digital formats.

Publications and Research unit was established to produce the newsletter, and to give oversight to the Medu executive. In 1982, the P&R Unit reports included summaries of activities or work that should be completed by Publications and Research Unit in 1982, such as issuing of newsletters, and publishing of Mongane Serote's poetry book. In 1983 P & R was divided into the Naledi Writers Unit, which continued oversight of the newsletter and other matters around creative writing and articles; and a separate executive unit of Medu, consisting of elected official.