The Robert B. Docking gubernatorial records contain a wide variety of materials that document Governor Docking's years in office from 1967 to 1974. The inclusive dates for the collection are 1955 to 1976 with the bulk of the material dated from November 1966 to January 1975. Materials from November to December 1966 are filed with January 1967, and from January 1975 with December 1974, unless otherwise indicated.

The collection largely consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, appointment books, weekly schedules, press releases, speeches, copies of legislation, working notes about legislative proposals, political newsletters, campaign materials, photographs, and notes on strategy.

These materials, in various combinations, form six major series of material which are as follows: 1) general filing (the term used by the Governor's office) which indicates correspondence, memoranda, and other material relating to the numerous state agencies and to communications with constituents; 2) legislative, which includes copies of all bills for each legislative session with related notes and correspondence; 3) political, which includes campaign material, political correspondence, and miscellaneous political material; 4) patronage, which contains information about appointments to the various state boards and agencies, correspondence concerning appointments, and general requests for non-appointive jobs; 5) speeches and press releases of the governor and his assistants; and 6) appearances and declines, which consists of requests for appearances by the governor and correspondence indicating his response.

The collection also contains several minor series which are as follows: assistant's files, which consist of the correspondence of several of Docking's staff members; Ozark Regional Commission files, which include information on the Ozark Regional Commission and other cooperative programs; Governors' Conference materials; files of the Legal Advisor, including pardon and extradition materials; policy files; and some miscellaneous materials that do not fit into any of the preceeding series.

Additionally, the collection has material from later additions to the collection. The 1991 addition has been given its own series while the 2022 addition, believed to have material from the original collection that remained unprocessed, has been incorporated into the previously stated series under a "Records shelved at RH MS 1555" subseries or into three new series: 1) photographs, which consist of photographs of Docking and events during his years in office; 2) personal files about personal and professional endeavors not connected to Docking's time as governor; and 3) oversize material.

This collection not only documents the actions of Robert B. Docking as governor of Kansas, but also reflects the issues that were important to Kansans during Docking's eight years in office. Concern about specific issues, with the exception of legislative matters, is generally found in the general correspondence division of the general files. Docking's first years in office correspond to the last years of the United States involvement in Vietman. The collection, in the "Adjutant-General" portion, contains correspondence from Kansans reacting to American involvement and to the activation for duty in Vietnam of a unit of the Kansas National Guard. Campus protests of the war and the accompanying security problems are reflected in the "Regents," "Kansas Highway Patrol," and "Civil Disorders" files of the general correspondence. A growing concern about pollution is reflected in "Department of Health" files until the creation of an "Environment" file under "Health" in 1969. Concern about the proposal to establish an atomic waste disposal plant in Kansas is reflected in "Atomic Energy" files. The Governor's Committee on Criminal Administration was established in 1968 and was involved in improving law enforcement in the state and in handling drug abuse education programs. The "Social Welfare" files contain correspondence that illustrates some of the problems of low income families and, in 1971, contain protests about a wage reduction for employees in state health institutions. The general correspondence in 1971 and 1972 includes a file for "Wage-Price Freeze," which consists primarily of information about federal guidelines for implementing the freeze. The issue of cross-busing is reflected in the "Education" files for 1972. The fuel allocation problems of 1973 and 1974 appear in the "Kansas Department of Economic Development" files.

Correspondence from national politicians and officials on specific issues (excluding election congratulations and get well messages) are filed either in "U.S. Officials," "U.S. Senators and Representatives," or in the appropriate subject files (such as Volpe--"Highway").

For the most part correspondence concerning such items as taxes, liquor by the drink, education funding issues, and daylight savings is in the legislative files.

No major gaps exist in the papers. Newspaper clippings are fairly sparse for 1969-1972 and "Appearances and Declines," with a few exceptions, before 1970 were disposed of by the Governor's staff because of storage problems. Some materials in the 1968-1969 files were damaged and others were destroyed during a water leak in the basement of the State Capitol. This accounts for the deterioration of some of the materials in these two years and for any gaps that might be apparent.