The National Federation of the Blind Institutional Records span from 1940 to 2011, with the majority of records created between 1955 and 2002. The NFB is an active organization that is continually creating more records. New materials will be added to this collection as they become available. At this time the collection includes correspondence, publications, reports, project files, legal case files, legislative documents, lists, tactile maps and diagrams, photographs and photographic negatives, drafts and working files for published works, speeches, newspaper clippings, convention files, administrative records, meeting minutes, plaques, proclamations, protest posters, publicity files, financial documents, mass mail samples, fundraising materials, spreadsheets, estate files, and organizational core documents. While most of the collection is in ink print format, a significant portion of the correspondence, publication files, and other miscellaneous records is in Grade 2 Braille. Correspondence, publications, and recordings of public appearances and events on audio cassette tape, vinyl record, and VHS tape are also included in the collection. This finding aid only covers materials located in the NFB Records Center 1.

The NFB has maintained a central filing system since the early days of the organization. The original files were maintained in Berkeley, CA, in the home of NFB founder Jacobus tenBroek, which also served as the first headquarters of the NFB. After his death in 1968, the presidency moved to Kenneth Jernigan of Des Moines, IA, who remained in office until after the NFB headquarters moved to Baltimore, MD, in 1979. Some of the original files held at Berkeley (and many copies) were sent to Des Moines, but a significant portion of the files remained with tenBroek’s widow, Hazel tenBroek, until she donated them to the Jacobus tenBroek Library in 1998. As a result, many of the early records of the NFB are now part of the Jacobus tenBroek Papers, and the majority of materials held in Records Center 1 date back to the beginning of the Jernigan administration. Researchers are encouraged to consult the finding aid for the Jacobus tenBroek Personal Papers 1924-1997 (bulk 1938-1978) for additional records from 1940 to 1968, including early NFB constitutions, incorporation papers, meeting minutes, convention minutes, resolutions, staff correspondence files, financial documents, and fundraising materials. Also included are documents related to the right to organize movement (1953-1965) and the NFB "civil war" (1958-1962).

The majority of the files in Records Center 1 were collected through a central filing program based on a hierarchy of subject headings. NFB staff used a home-grown item-level database known as the File Information System (FIS), from 1980 to 2002 to record entries for each document. Records collected from 1940 to 1979 are informally organized into categories and are housed in separate filing cabinets. Overflow materials arranged by subject, including Braille documents, publications, and audio/visual materials, from throughout the date range of the collection are housed in boxes on shelf storage. In 2002 Records Center 1 was closed and the central filing program was retired, but not replaced. As a result, business records from 2002 to 2011—including financial files, personnel files, and the materials housed in Records Center 2—are subject to a new records management program and are not included in this finding aid.

The collection is divided into four main record groups, which represent the structure, activities, and functions of the NFB and its associated organizations: the NFB State Affiliates, the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults (AAF), and the Jacobus tenBroek Memorial Fund (JtB).

The materials in the NFB record group cover the period from the founding of the organization in 1940 to 2011, with most files ranging from 1955 to 2002. These files document the development of the NFB from a small coalition of state associations of the blind into a national advocacy organization with fifty-two state affiliates (including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) working to achieve security, equality, and opportunity for all blind Americans. Included in this record group are core documents, correspondence (1957-2002) with various state and federal agencies and private organizations of or for the blind, national convention planning files (1940-2002), publicity files (1966-2003), and development files (1974-2003) concerning the fundraising strategies used by the organization. Also included are records related to legal cases involving the NFB (1970-2000), publication drafts and working files (1970-2006), and records that document the NFB’s involvement in legislative issues (1958-1998) including the right of the blind to travel independently, oversight of sheltered workshops, entitlement programs, and rehabilitation. A significant portion of the record group details the advocacy work of the NFB (1960-2008) in the areas of discrimination, employment, education, rehabilitation, NFB awards and scholarships, activism, and technological advances for the blind. The advocacy of the NFB is also documented in the community relations correspondence (1996-2003), which shows the daily interactions of the organization with blind people and the public. The papers of the Office of the President (1957-2003) contain speeches, correspondence, event files, and publications from all three of the major presidents of the NFB, as well as the personal papers of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan (1958-1998). The activities of the membership (1958-2002) are documented in the files related to the divisions and committees that serve the needs and interests of NFB members. Some materials are in Braille, on audio cassette, or on vinyl record.

The NFB Affiliate record group (1943-2011) contains materials that document the development, activities, and interactions of the fifty-two affiliates and the local chapters under their jurisdiction. The files preserve the history of each affiliate as an organization in its own right as well as document its interactions with the national organization and with each other. Materials are divided by affiliate name, and the contents vary depending on what records were sent to the national office. Most affiliate files include correspondence (1943-2002), publications (1969-2006), advocacy files (1954-2002), publicity (1955-2003), state legislation files (1954-2002), and development records related to fundraising initiatives (1978-2011). This record group also contains files related to state conventions held by the affiliates (1955-2010), core documents, and state-level divisions and committees (1981-2004). The majority of affiliate records created or received before 1979 was considered general correspondence and is housed separately from post 1979 materials. Some materials, including publications, correspondence, and convention recordings are in Braille or audio cassette format.

Records chronicling the organization, activities, programs, and advocacy of the AAF cover the years 1962 to 2005. A large portion of the materials is correspondence (1968-2002)—divided between their offices in Baltimore, MD, and Tarzana, CA—that concerns blindness assistance, volunteer offers, and donations. Drafts and working files for AAF publications (1964-2003), news clippings, and publicity files (1977-1992) are also present. This record group also involves materials related to AAF’s programs to promote Braille literacy, including Free Braille Books for Blind Children (1997-2003), Braille reading contests (1991-2005), and Twin Vision^® books (1962-1997). In addition, this record group also contains development files (1969-2003) that pertain to fundraising, mass mail solicitation, and estate asset distributions. Materials are mainly in print with some Braille documents and audio cassette tapes.

The JtB record group spans from 1968-1994 and includes materials mainly related to the maintenance and renovation of the NFB headquarters in Des Moines, IA (1968-1978), and Baltimore, MD (1979-2011). Files include correspondence, financial reports, insurance policies, and stationery templates. Also includes photographs and photographic negatives documenting renovation projects undertaken at the Baltimore headquarters from 1986 to 1994.