This collection documents the life and academic career of physicist John A. Tobin, SJ. The papers contain correspondence, writings, academic and administrative materials, articles, ephemera, and photographs. Of note are materials related to the curriculum, governance, and history of the Boston College Physics Department; Tobin's courses (including descriptions, syllabi, and notes); abstracts and status reports on experiments and writings on the relationship between education, physics, the spiritual life, and Catholicism. The collection also includes articles by Tobin and others on atomic and nuclear physics, color, physics education, historical sketches of the department, and departmental meeting agendas.

In addition, there are items related to the Civilian Pilot Training Program: correspondence, class lists from 1940-1943, a diagram of Norwood Memorial Airport, and a description of the program. Tobin's personal material includes correspondence, biographical articles, and materials regarding the Boston College High School class of 1911. It also includes certificates and other ephemera related to Tobin’s academic work and religious life. The collection also consists of photographs of Tobin as well as images of him with his classmates, teaching colleagues, students, and members of his family.