The papers of Congressman James V. Hansen is separated into five series. The first series (Series I) contains subject files, correspondence and reports of major legislation and debates Congressman Hansen encountered during his service in the United States House of Representatives. Hansen’s staff arranged the majority of the files in this series and these were left in their original order. Collated into these files are files from Congressman Hansen’s Series II: General Correspondence that his staff labeled by topic due to their historical significance or Congressman Hansen’s close association with them. The majority of the subject files are arranged alphabetically with media, books, binders and other materials located at the end of the series.

Included in Boxes 90 to 94 of this series are sealed items relating to the Intermountain Indian School, Military Academies, and other sensitive information. Access to these materials is restricted and may only to be viewed with the permission of the Utah State University Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator. Of special interest in the sealed records is a folder of correspondence concerning Iranian activism at Utah State University during the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Box 95 was added in 2024 and includes correspondence regarding petitions dealing with a variety of issues.

The second series (Series II) consists of Congressman Hansen’s general correspondence during his service in the United States House of Representatives. It is generally organized chronologically based on the order it was received by Congressman Hansen’s office. With some exceptions, the correspondence sent by constituents is stapled to responses sent by Congressman Hansen’s office. The form letters Congressman Hansen received have been separated from other Series II: General Correspondence and are found at the end of the series. Also attached to the end of the series are general response letters that Congressman Hansen sent in response to constituents’ correspondence.

The third series (Series III) consists of books, reports, and maps kept by Congressman Hansen’s office. Most of these documents relate to Utah issues with which the congressman was involved.

The fourth series (Series IV) consists of newspaper articles collected by Congressman Hansen's office. The newspaper articles address various legislation, national or Utah issues, or talk about Congressman Hansen himself.

The fifth series (Series V) consists of two boxes of media collected by Congressman Hansen’s office, including several VHS, data tapes, cassette tapes, a CD and several floppy disks produced or collected by Congressman Hansen. The items are ordered by media type and arranged in the box for best possible fit.

The sixth series (Series VI) contains sixty boxes containing reports and records relating to Hansen’s involvement with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Resources. This section contains many files relating to the establishment of national parks, monuments (Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in particular), and wilderness areas in the American West. Other prominent topics and controversies deal with water and land rights in government established conservation areas. Additional items include reports, requests, and correspondence dealing with Department of the Interior monetary appropriations for the late 1990s and early 2000s. The folders in this series were labeled as Hansen had titled them.