The papers of George List are arranged into seven series: Biographical, Correspondence and subject files, Publications, Research, Professional, Compositions, and Audiovisual. Most files are labeled and arranged based on the order in which they were received from List. His earlier papers are clearly labeled and dated, but materials from the late 1970s to 2008, the time period in which List was blind and depended upon others to organize his papers, are less clearly labeled, not uniform, and often undated. These materials are arranged chronologically after List's own organization based on their appropriate series.

This collection spans 1924-2008, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1958-1990. Materials are centered around List's early career as a music teacher and composing musician, as well as his academic career, including research on indigenous South American music, publications, and papers relating to his work with the Archives of Traditional Music. Also included are personal and professional correspondence, a full publication list, poetry and short stories by List, and original musical compositions. Works of note include full instrumentation for Marche O'Malley, a symphony composed by List and performed in 1947 and 1951, and articles "The Boundaries of Speech and Song" (Ethnomusicology 1961) and "The Reliability of Transcription" (Ethnomusicology 1974).

The Biographical series (1924-2006) is arranged alphabetically and contains items from List's career as a music teacher, published biographies, newspaper clippings, and publicity materials about his accomplishments. It also includes his curriculum vitae, tenure and retirement information, and a memoir written in 2004.

Correspondence and subject files (1933-2008) are combined and organized alphabetically. The Professional correspondence and subject files subseries contains correspondence with co-workers, colleagues, and institutions regarding List's professional career, as well as information about publishers, libraries, and museums affiliated with List. The Personal correspondence and subject files subseries consists of correspondence with friends, family, and colleagues that is more personal in nature and less related to List's career. The series is organized based on List's original order, resulting in some overlap between professional and personal correspondence.

The Publications series (1946-2005) includes drafts and revisions of book chapters and articles, unpublished manuscripts, and all articles published by List between 1946-1992. Also included are reviews written by List between 1960-1986, as well as reviews of his own works written by others. Materials are first arranged in the order created by List, with other materials arranged after them in chronological order. Items of note include the manuscripts for Cuentos Costeños, and Mozart and Tonality, both of which were never published.

Research files (1894, 1953-2006) mainly consist of List's research related to the music of the indigenous people of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, as well as his research from 1960 and 1963 about the Hopi tribe in the southwestern United States. Also included are lists of musical tracks and transcriptions used for various TV and radio productions with which List was involved, and materials used in lectures. Materials are organized as received from List. This series contains a set of numbered folders titled List-##, which largely consist of track listings for radio spots, television programs, and demo tapes. Also contained are two sets of index cards, the first which is numerically ordered contains supplementary notes which correspond to the numbered List folders in Boxes 11 and 17, the second contains citations for articles written by List as well as those he used for research purposes.

The Professional series (1942-2004) includes materials from conferences attended by List, correspondence with the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), teaching materials, faculty reports, and papers about grants and fellowships List received or applied for. Items are arranged as received from List, with conferences and correspondence listed chronologically and grants and fellowships organized alphabetically.

The Compositions series (1926-2008) consists of musical compositions composed by List for piano, organ, mixed chorus, flute, clarinet, oboe, viola, cello, and orchestra. Also included are compact discs of his music being performed, and a vinyl record of "Andante for Woodwind Quintette." Other works of note include Gadgets: A Commercial Opera, and a full score with orchestral parts for Marche O'Malley. Most of these works were never published and are undated. Pieces are arranged alphabetically.

Audiovisual materials (1941-1985) include a set of 108 cassette tape albums titled "Letters," 13 reels of open reel tape titled "Copies of cuentos from Colombia," an open reel tape of a WTIU Broadcast about student activities and boycott meetings from 1969, and an undated VHS tape titled Conjunto de Cumbio. Items are arranged according to List's labels.

All photographs and negatives were removed and are housed with the Indiana University Archives photo collection. Consult with the Archives Photographs Curator for further information.