The Lovedale collection is divided into four series: Administrative Records,
Correspondence, Manuscripts and Topical Files. The Administrative
Records relate to the internal activities of the Lovedale Press. It contains
financial records, personnel records and minutes of the Lovedale Press Manuscript
Committee. The financial records are grouped into four folders and cover the years 1924 to
1949. They include account records, invoices, sales receipts, and reports. The personnel
records consists of staff lists of the printing and bookbinding departments.

The Correspondence series
spans from 1928 to 1974. It is arranged into two subseries, Hymn Book Revision Committee
and Steward Xhosa Readers. The Committee was a joint committee representing the
Presbyterian Missions, the Congregational Church, and the Lovedale Institution, appointed
to revise the hymn book edition that was already in use. It was also charged with the
service of producing a music version. Correspondence about the Steward Xhosa Readers
pertain to the writing and the editing of the readers between G.B. Sinxo and Rev.
Shepherd. Many of the related materials came grouped together chronologically. These
materials were kept together and filed according to the date of the first corresponding
material. Correspondence that had accompanying manuscripts were filed or grouped with the
manuscripts.

The Manuscripts series is
arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. The series includes manuscripts of many
well known black authors including A.C. Jordan, H.I.E. Dhlomo, D.D.T. Jabavu, J.J.R.
Jolobe, S.E.K. Mqhayi, H.M. Ndawo, A.Z. Ngani, G.B. Sinxo, T.B. Soga and Victoria
Swaartbooi. It consists of both typed and handwritten. It is important to note that some
of the manuscripts are accompanied by correspondence relating to the manuscripts. The
manuscripts range from school books, drama, poetry, and language books, and other Xhosa
books. Manuscripts that did not have an author's name are filed under unknown authors.

Religious materials form a large part of the Topical
Files series. These include an incomplete Old Testament Xhosa Bible annotated
by Dr. R. H. W. Shepherd, Dr. Bryce Ross' Review of Xhosa Bible, and the Xhosa hymn book.
Other files includes Lovedale Press and missionary publications, news cuttings, Xhosa
language and literature, and miscellaneous papers.