The Straughan's Book Shop Records date from 1930-1962, with the bulk of the collection covering the period 1945-1962. The papers include correspondence with patrons, publishers, and authors; advertising and promotional material; reviews and articles. There are also photographs and radio scripts for the promotion of authors and books.

The bulk of the autographed correspondence was written by authors associated with the state of North Carolina or the American South. Other notable items in this collection include: promotional booklets for Carl Sandburg's Always the Young Stranger and Remembrance Rock; Peter Beagle's A Fine and Private Place (filed under Viking); Elizabeth Gray Vining's Country Life of Nippon; and Van Wycke Brook's Makers and Finders. There are also booklists for the White House Library dating from 1929 and copies of some National Book Awards speeches from the 1950s.