The Nichols Arboretum consists of 123 acres of land adjacent to the University of Michigan's Central Campus. This collection of the Arboretum's records dates mainly from the latter half of the 20th century, and features publications and printed materials from the 1990s. It also includes written histories from the early 20th century, several files of administrative materials from the late 1960s, and materials pertaining to proposals for the Arboretum grounds in the 1990s
The Nichols Arboretum records comprise of 3 linear feet and 12 oversize folders of materials spanning the years from 1921 to 2006. The bulk of the collection dates from 1995 to 2004. The records document a brief period of the arboretum's administration from the late 1960s, plans and proposals for the arboretum grounds from throughout the late 20th century, and publications and events at the arboretum from the mid-1990s to the very early 2000s. The records have been divided into ten series: Administrative, Correspondence, Display Materials, Events, Friends of NA, Projects, Publications and Printed Materials, Topical Files, Maps, and Plans and Proposals.