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The Chairman's File series is divided into two subseries. There is a small subseries of departmental records from the period when William A. Hiltner was chairman. There is also a subseries of files relating to the internal and external workings of the Department under Robert P. Kirshner and, later, Douglas O. Richstone in the 1980s. Arranged in reverse chronological order, this subseries includes incoming and outgoing memoranda and correspondence which discuss faculty and doctoral appointments, fund-raising activities, and recommendations.

The Departmental Topical Files series is made up of correspondence, memoranda, and grant and research proposals. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject and within folders, there is a rough chronological arrangement. It is diverse, containing materials on observatories, the Department's communication with the University Provost, a Historic Instruments Preservation Project, and the dedication of the William A. Hiltner Telescope. Most of the materials are from the 1980s. Since the Department's faculty members have often been involved in the Association for University Research in Astronomy (AURA), there are also records in the collection which document that organization.

The Complaint Appeal Committee series contains documentation relating to the Anne Cowley case requesting her promised faculty appointment with the Dept. of Astronomy.