To quote Henri from his original list of the archives:

[the archive] is a virtually complete record of my various activities since the early sixties, and, in the case of unpublished Poetry mss., notebooks etc. much earlier......I think it is interesting not only in that, say, all published work is represented by drafts, variants, notebook-jottings etc., but also because there is a great deal of unpublished work represented. Similarly, material for books, plays, records, film etc. which for various reasons were unpublished or unperformed are an important part of the record of one's work over twenty or more years.

The archive also illustrates the work Henri did to promote Arts (specifically with the Liverpool Academy of Arts); elements of his personal life, through the many letters from friends and family (Correspondence - Henri M) and the work of other poets, artists and writers who were working in this period.

Material in the archive has been listed for the most part in the order in which it was deposited by Henri. This division is as follows:

• Poetry (Henri A)
• Unpublished Poems, Translations (Henri B)
• Notebooks (Henri C)
• Diaries (Henri D)
• Prose (Henri E)
• Miscellaneous Prose (Henri EE)
• Plays (Henri F)
• Exhibitions (Henri G)
• Miscellaneous (Henri I); Press Cuttings (Henri K)
• Liverpool Academy of Arts (Henri L)
• Correspondence (Henri M).

Material within these sections usually follows chronologically or alphabetically; this is indicated at the beginning of each sequence. The Liverpool Academy of Arts Material has been compiled from various other sections to reflect the quantity and importance of this material. Similarly, the original organisation of the Correspondence section has been altered in an attempt to make the material more accessible. A different numbering system was originally used for some sections and has been left visible on many items. It can be used to determine the original location (and sometimes date) of items by using an annotated version of Adrian Henri's original list, available for consultation in the department.