The fonds consists of minutes from the Departments of Asian Studies (1968-1992) and History (1964-1992) as well as committee material and other records generated by these two units (1962-1992). In addition, Harnetty has provided several detailed lists which serve as abstracts for much of the material. The fonds also includes copies of speeches by Harnetty between 1961 and 1966, course material from 1985 to 1992, and other ephemera.

The fonds consists of a curriculum vitae, incoming and outgoing correspondence, lecture notes, course syllabi, speeches and papers, book reviews, lists of Howes publications, surveys, application forms for grants and academic leaves, research notes, committee minutes, photographs and architectural drawings. The fonds consists of 10 series: Personal Records, Correspondence, Course Materials, Conferences and Seminars, Asian Studies Department, Book Reviews, Professional Papers, Research Materials, Subject Files and Photographs. The records were organized according to either Howes original filing system or to its overall contents.