RCA promotional photo of Lou Reed, 1970-1979

The collection contains manuscripts, artwork, sound and video recordings, photographs, publications, and ephemera. Manuscripts include holographic notes from Lou Reed and Piero Heliczer, as well as several items in the hand of Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison, including a set list for a performance at Poor Richard's, in Chicago.

Sound recordings in the archive include six acetate demo records of songs by the band c.1966-69; DAT tapes of unreleased material; first pressings, test pressings, and disc jockey editions of Velvets albums; Sterling Morrison's personal copy of the group's fourth album, Loaded; CDs, singles, EPs, and foreign and domestic bootlegs. Photographs include prints of Velvets performances taken by such contemporary photographers as Paul Morrisey, Billy Name, and Adam Ritchie; as well as vintage contact sheets, press and promo photos, and post-2000 prints in black & white and color.

Posters, flyers and other ephemera include advertisements for appearances of Andy Warhol and the Exploding Plastic Inevitable in New York, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Factory, as well as films by Warhol and posters for Velvets shows in the US, Prague, and elsewhere; flyers and handbills for Velvets appearances. The collection also includes magazines, press clippings, books, and other publications.