Correspondence, minutes, speeches, audio recordings, photographs, artifacts, and bound volumes document the organizational activities of the American Surgical Association. The archives of the Association consist mostly of records of the preparation for, and the proceedings of, the Association's annual meetings, including presentation of scholarly papers and presidential addresses. Since the Association's inception in 1880, there has been a keen awareness of its history. This awareness is evident in ASA's careful record keeping and its preservation of tradition. A key component of the collection is the sheer intellectual output by its members: this includes the scholarly research included in the Minutes throughout ASA's history, as well as research papers and journal articles by members.