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This subseries contains reports, memoranda, correspondence, CVs, photographs, calendars, and planning documents relating to Buchanan's work at various universities, primarily Virginia Polytechnic Institute (also known as Virginia Tech or VPI) and George Mason University. Topics include economics department functioning and planning, Buchanan's academic output, schedules, and university events and policies. The subseries is arranged chronologically.

Alphabetical correspondence is correspondence filed alphabetically by subject, by the surname of the correspondent, or by the name of the organization. Filing was likely done by Betty Tillman. Some correspondence is grouped under a single letter, for example, a folder titled "A" contains multiple correspondents and organizations that start with the letter A. Some are grouped in a range of letters, for example, a folder title "E-F" contains correspondents starting with either E or F. It is unclear why some were filed out into individual folders and others were left in large files under a single letter or letter range. Note that there are some issues with the original filing, for example the surname "da Empoli" is sometimes filed under D and sometimes under E. Sometimes letters discussing a person are filed under that person's surname, and sometimes under the surname of the person requesting the information. Additionally, previous processors filed out some correspondence into individual folders. No additional re-filing was done under the NEH grant.

This subseries contains papers created by Ann Bakke Buchanan, James M. Buchanan's wife. Materials include correspondence, recipe cards, notebooks, calendars, and photographs. Some of the correspondence is in Norwegian, and some is addressed to both James and Ann as a couple. Recipe cards were removed from seven recipe card boxes and reboxed. Photographs of the original housing are available by request. Recipes are a mix of clippings and handwritten recipes from Ann Buchanan and her friends and relatives. Some recipes and notebooks are written in shorthand.

This subseries contains correspondence, schedules, planning documents, papers and lecture notes, and travel documents from conferences, speaking engagements, and other events attended by Buchanan during his career. This subseries also contains materials related to conferences organized by Buchanan or Betty Tillman, often in partnership with the Liberty Fund. Note that the subseries is arranged chronologically by date of the materials that exist in the folder, not by date of the conference or event. Event planning could stretch to a year or two before the event took place, especially for events occurring in the first half of the calendar year.

This subseries contains materials relating to awards Buchanan received during his career. The majority of the materials relate to the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, but there are also materials about the National Humanities Medal and other awards. Types of material include newspaper clippings, congratulatory letters, photographs, and memorabilia.

Chronological correspondence is unrelated correspondence from a certain date range that was filed together in a single folder. It is unclear why this correspondence was not filed out alphabetically. Chronological correspondence from 1987 onwards seems to have been kept by Jo Ann Burgess and never officially filed into designated folders. These folders include correspondence from Buchanan on topics across his work, with a focus on publications and events and travel. There are also assorted office administration materials handled by Burgess in these folders. Topics of the chronological correspondence and the correspondents seem to be similar to that of the alphabetical correspondence.

This subseries contains committee meeting notes, annual reports, and correspondence relating to Buchanan's work with various outside organizations. Buchanan served on boards for some organizations, including the Mont Pelerin Society. Those records are mostly found here, although some conference organizing material for the Mont Pelerin Society and Liberty Fund is located in Subseries 1: Conferences and events. The subseries is arranged chronologically.

This subseries contains lecture notes, drafts, syllabi, exams, and readings relating to classes taught by Buchanan over the course of his career. Buchanan would often present his own draft works to students for comment, so some of his draft writings are in this subseries. The subseries is arranged chronologically. Materials created by or relating to specific students are restricted due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

This subseries contains correspondence and applications for grant projects undertaken by Buchanan and collaborators. Specific granting agencies include the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and others. Grants were primarily written for funding research projects in economics, specifically in public choice. Grants that were undertaken to fund operations of the Center for Study of Public Choice are found in Subseries 5: Center for Study of Public Choice. Some correspondence with granting agencies is located in Series 2: Correspondence. The subseries is arranged chronologically.

This subseries contains newspaper and magazine clippings about Buchanan, including articles about his work, interviews, and reports on events he attended. Note that the clippings related to the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics are located in the Awards subseries. Clippings of articles written by Buchanan are located in the Writings series. Many clippings are in languages other than English.