This collection contains correspondence, clippings, photographs, publications, and other material collected by Herbert Ganter, W&M Class of 1927 and Archivist of the College of William & Mary from 1948-1974. Included in the collection are correspondence, photographs, and journals written by and collected by Ganter while a student at William and Mary, correspondence and clippings about information from Swem Library's holdings while Ganter was College Archivist, and correspondence pertaining to the restoration of Williamsburg in the 1930s.

A large portion of the correspondence is between Hebert L. Ganter and his parents, while he was a student at the College of William and Mary.  Many of the clippings concern the restoration of Williamsburg, the 1928 Presidential election, and the sesquicentennial celebration at Yorktown.  Of particular note is a scrapbook kept by Ganter while a student at William and Mary as well as numerous photographs from his trip to Europe in 1926 as well as an album of postcards (predominantly French) that he collected while on that trip.

The bulk of the collection is Ganter's research notes regarding William Small, Virginia History, and the history of the College of William and Mary, obtained from a variety of sources, including primary sources in London.