The Carl D. Perkins Papers are currently divided into eight series. The number of series may change as several of the artificial series are more fully processed and the General, Committee and Departmental series are weeded and put in new folders. The collection was partially rehoused and fully inventoried by a number of student workers over a period of several years after the material first arrived at EKU.

Application Series Contains constituent correspondence requesting assistance in applying for jobs, either federal or state, and some dealing with jobs in the private sector. Student aid appears to be requesting aid for school loans and grants, as well as other educational assistance.

Committee Series Contains correspondence from constituents regarding specific legislation and is filed according to the committee which handled the particular subject (i.e. a letter from a constituent about Social Security legislation would be filed under Ways & Means). The folders may also contain copies of bills relating to the subject, copies of Congressional Record remarks on the subject and copies of Congressman Perkins' correspondence with the constituent. They may also include petitions, background and research information, research reports, copies of speeches on the subject and news clippings.

Departmental Series This series is comprised primarily of constituent correspondence having to do with problems related to branches of government. This correspondence is as far ranging as problems with a passport photos printed on glossy paper (regulations required non-glossy paper) to a request for assistance in obtaining construction funds for an adult activity center in Northern Kentucky (referred to the HEW Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services). The folders may also contain pamphlets, news clippings and other material related to the specific subject or problem. This material is arranged by Congress and then alphabetically by department except that all military branches and veterans cases are at the front of each section.

General Series This series consists largely of constituent correspondence that is very general nature and does not usually relate to specific legislation or an application problem. It is arranged chronologically by Congress (81st, 82nd, 83rd, etc.), and then alphabetically by subject. It also includes copies of correspondence from Perkins to the constituent, campaign material, invitations to receptions, parties and dedications, congratulatory letters, reports and handouts from seminars and other events, Christmas and other holiday cards, constituent correspondence concerning problems with state government (usually filed in folders marked "Kentucky Govt."), mailing lists, photographs, news clippings and occasional background or research material. Please note that in the filing system for the General Series, "Kentucky Govt. - Highway Department" in 84th 87th Congress changed to "Kentucky Highways" in the 88th 93rd Congress and "Kentucky Govt. - Transportation - Highways" in the 94th 98th Congress)

Legislative Series This is an artificial series comprised of material that was apparently pulled from other series when the collection first arrived. As it all relates to legislative issues (with the speeches being an exception), it has been grouped together for ease of access. The series is comprised primarily of material relating to Congressman Perkins' activities surrounding legislation such as voting record, bills introduced and/or co-sponsored, remarks made for the Congressional Record, press releases and articles or speeches.

Personal Series The Personal Series includes reference material on various subjects, guest books, and Congressional pictorial directories. Most of the material in this series was found in Congressman Perkins' desk or credenza after his death, and was boxed as found. Some of this material may be re-filed later if it is clear that it belongs in other series such as General, Committee or Departmental; however, it is likely that the bulk of this material is actually photocopies from those other series.

Reed Files (Hartwell D. Reed) These files may originally have been part of the Committee Series (and were labeled as "Legislative Sub-Series"). However, it appears that they were actually files maintained by Hartwell D. (Jack) Reed as counsel to the Education & Labor Committee. They were separated sometime after they came to the EKU Archives and are currently being maintained as a series until the collection is fully processed. They comprise material similar to that found in the committee series but it appears that the majority of the correspondence is non-constituent and there is much more inter-government communication as well as background or research material on the subjects indicated by the folder titles.

Specialized Formats This series contains the plaques, awards and certificates that Mr. Perkins accumulated during his long career as well as a number of artifacts such as lapel pins, carvings, paperweights, nameplates and commemorative coins. Included in this series are motion picture film, audiotapes (in several formats) and videotapes that document his career. There are also 884 photographs that provide a visual record of visits to his home district and activities in the House as well as photo opportunities with constituents and dignitaries. Among the people he was photographed with are Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Andrew Young, Pearl Bailey, Robert Kennedy and Walter Mondale. This series also contains much of the correspondence relating to request for photographs of the Congressman or of the President.