The existing numbering scheme for Thompson's notebooks was maintained during reprocessing in 2019, as these numbers were the only description available to researchers for many decades. The first set of notebook numbers was established by Wilfred Meynell, and where gaps in the numbering exist, those notebooks were not acquired by Boston College. Notebooks with a "BC" number indicate acquisitions from other sources than Meynell. Dates on notebooks have been derived from known publication dates of selected contents. As Thompson does not appear to have filled his notebooks front-to-back or in chronological order, some contents may have been created far from the known dates. Content description has been taken from indices created by Boston College Librarian Terence Connolly, SJ, a Thompson scholar and the person responsible for the acquisition of much of the collection.