Dr. Bentel arranged his personal materials by subject and placed notes and commentary, rough drafts, and correspondence to and from a particular correspondent or surrounding a particular theme in the same folder. The materials in this series were left in original order within each folder. With the exception of correpondance, the folders are arranged alphbetcally by the predominant format of the material within the folder followed by the subject of the materials.

Correspondence is arranged aphabetically by sender/recipient followed by date. When the general topic of was indicated by Dr. Bentel, that topic is provided in parentheses after the sender/recipient's name. For example: correspondence between Dr. Bentel and his brother Dr. Carr Bentel regarding the care of their mother is labeled “Bentel, Carr (Care of Katherine Bentel).” Correspondence is placed behind the other formats.