The Jerré Tanner Collection contains scores, correspondence, Ephemera, and more representing Jerré Tanner's professional and personal life. The collection is arranged into four series according to acquisition year. As such, similar topics and types of materials are spread throughout the collection and researchers may need to consult multiple boxes. Tanner's original folder titles and groupings have been retained where present.

2005 and 2015 acquisitions [Series 1] The first series in this collection arrived in 2005 and 2015 and consists of primarily originals and copies of Tanner's musical scores and compositions. Examples include "The Naupaka Floret," "Boy with Goldfish," and "Kona Coffee Cantata." Instrumentation ranges from chamber groups to full symphony orchestras, operas, and concert bands. Some of the scores are written in pencil, with a number containing handwritten notes. Harvey Hess wrote the English text for many of the represented works. Please note that due to the assorted sizes of these scores, the same title might be located in different boxes to accommodate format. Also included in this series are costumes from a production of "Ka Lei No Kane" as well as assorted performance posters.

2010 acquisition [Series 2] This series contains materials exclusively related to Tanner's work, "Boy with Goldfish," which was inspired by a series of paintings created by John Thomas. Included is correspondence, publicity materials, recordings, and more. Please see the inventory for complete information.

2018 acquisition [Series 3] The third series contains one bound manuscript of Tanner's “Ho’oku’ikahi” and four letters dated 1971, which were sent to Erling Hanson, the dedicatee of the score.

2021 acquisitions [Series 4] The final series in the collection contains correspondence, ephemeral content, and personal materials. The series dates from 1955 to 2012 and was kept in the order in which Tanner organized the files. The correspondence dates from the 1960s to 2012 and consists of personal and business correspondence. Of note are incoming letters from Tanner's friend and frequent collaborator, Harvey Hess, dated 2005-2006 and 2012, many of which include haikus written by Hess. Also included are a variety of Christmas cards and miscellaneous correspondence and documents focusing primarily on Tanner's professional life, in particular business matters concerning Malama Arts, Inc. The series' ephemeral content consists mainly of concert programs, dating from 1995 to 2003, and Tanner's calendars, with entries about appointments, travels, rehearsals, etc., as well as notebooks containing to-do lists, drafts of letters, and more. These materials also include additional files about Boy with Goldfish.