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The Administrative File holds the records of various committees within IDD and documentation of various reviews of the unit. "Memoranda and Correspondence" primarily contains departmental communications with other university offices. Records of two Review Committees, 1978 and 1984-1985, pertain to analyses of IDD and its original parent organization, Institute of Science and Technology (IST). These folders hold valuable documentation on the status of IDD at those times. The "Realignment" folders contain materials relating to IDD's administrative shift from IST to the College of Engineering and the School of Business.

The Historical File contains materials specifically written or compiled to record the history of the department. "Fifteen Years, 1960-1974" and "History, 1975-1978" are bound documents written to allow for evaluation of IDD from a "long-range point of view." The "Clippings" file contains references to IDD and related subjects in both local newspapers and national research journals.

The Projects series consists of documents relating to some of the major programs IDD has initiated. Along with a small number of administrative records, most of the documents in this series are project proposals and status reports of each program. The following subseries hold substantial records. The "Aluminum Study" examined the economic and environmental impacts of the replacement of iron and steel with aluminum in many industries. The "Automotive Community Adjustment Program" attempted to confront problems caused by the loss of jobs in the automotive industry during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The "Innovation Center" was designed to facilitate the transfer of technology developed in academic research laboratories to the commercial sector and to stimulate the formation of small high-technology companies. In the "Mills Study," IDD worked through a grant from the Office of Economic Expansion within the Michigan Department of Commerce to explore the possibility of establishing a mill to recycle scrap iron into steel.