The collection is divided into the following series:

Series 1 – Personal. Personal materials includes correspondence (letters, brochures, church and concert programs, diaries/appointment calendars, and dissertation materials. These papers are arranged chronologically, with undated material in the last folder of the section. Materials which can be assigned to a given year were filed at the end of that year. (1 Box)

Series 2 – Clubs and Organizations (2.5 Box)

Series 3 – Newspaper Clippings (.5 Box)

Series 4 – Professional. Dr. Mahan's professional papers consist of the following types of materials: Teaching; Research; Publications; Columbus College/Columbus State University. (5 Boxes)

Series 5 – Artifacts (2 Boxes)

Series 6 – Records (3 Boxes)

Series 7 – Photos/Slides (Unprocessed) (8 Boxes)

Series 8 – Audio recordings (Unprocessed) (3 Boxes)

Series 9 – Sheet Music (9 Boxes)

Series 10 – Scrapbooks (2 Boxes)