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The Mary Reynolds papers are comprised of six letters written home by a missionary and teacher in Turkey. The Reynolds letters offer an insight into one woman's view of the missionary endeavor and local occurences.

The collection consists of six letters, five addressed to Reynolds's sister and brother-in-law, Lucy (Reynolds) Root (1789-1871) and John Root (1789-1855) of Greenwich, Massachusetts, and one to her sister Martha Reynolds (1795-1832).

Major events discussed in Reynolds's letters include outbreaks of plague and cholera in Smyrna and other Ottoman cities, an 1831 fire that destroyed most of the Pera district of Constantinople, and a visit by missionary Joseph Wolff (1795-1862). One letter also discusses the appearance of a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily (likely Graham Island which subsequently sank back into the ocean) as told by two English travelers.

The letters' primary focus is Reynolds's missionary efforts and her devotion to God. She often expresses joy in the prospect of heaven and her daily prayer, hymns, and school teaching. Reynolds's religious views permeate every aspect of her life and she often considers events as divinely ordained- the Pera fire she attributes to the sins of its inhabitants such as British ambassador Robert Gordon's infidelity. Her piety does target Protestants she deems not faithful enough as well as members of other religions including Greeks, Catholics, Armenians, and Jews. She also discusses the ongoing war with Egypt (First Egyptian-Ottoman War) and related impressment and taxation by the Turkish government.

The Faculty and Staff files contain biographical and background information created and collected by the University of Michigan News and Information Services. News and Information Services is the media relations office of the university. The files represent more than 6,000 individual faculty and staff members. Some files contain photographs.

The Faculty and Staff Files (145 linear feet; 1944-2005) are arranged alphabetically by surname and contain academic and biographical information on nearly 6000 faculty and staff, including many who are inactive, retired or deceased. The files were maintained by the University of Michigan News and Information Service. Early on the files were working files holding ready reference biographical information and copies of press releases. Eventually the files came to include collected information such as copies of local and national newspaper articles where faculty or staff members were mentioned.

The amount of information per individual varies considerably, ranging from a single item to multiple folders. Files dating from around 1960-1995 tend to have more documentation than dates outside of this range, though there are some exceptions. Specific types of information include copies of news releases where the individual is mentioned, pages from Regents' meetings detailing appointments (resignations, faculty appointments, promotions, reassignments, sabbaticals, adoption of memoirs for retirements and deaths, etc.), newspaper clippings, magazine articles, preprints or reprints of publications, curricula vitae or other biographical summaries, and obituaries. In addition, some of the files contain photographs and negatives. (Photograph Series D of the News and Information Services records contains more than 4,000 faculty and staff portraits. A separate finding aid is available for that series.)

Files of University of Michigan presidents such as Alexander Ruthven and Harlan Hatcher are within the collection, as are files of various members of the Board of Regents. Distinguished alumni of the University of Michigan, including Nobel Prize winners Stanley Cohen and Raoul Wallenberg, also have files. The collection is of interest to researchers who desire a greater understanding of the professional interests and activities of faculty members in particular.