The Jackie Coogan papers span the years 1921-1984 and encompass 19 linear feet. The papers consist of production files, television files, subject files, and scrapbooks. The production files contain a few scripts and miscellaneous material related to only a few of the films in which Coogan appeared. The television files contain scripts and miscellaneous production information. While there is material on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, there are no complete scripts. The best coverage is for the syndicated series COWBOY G-MEN. The subject files primarily consist of miscellaneous clippings, though there is also a small amount of correspondence, including letters and drawings from Milton Caniff. The bulk of the papers consists of 27 scrapbooks, which begin in 1921 and continue until 1982. They cover both Coogan's professional life and his personal life in detail.

The photograph series of the Jackie Coogan papers spans the years 1919-1976 (bulk 1920s-1930s) and encompasses 5.4 linear feet. The collection contains 3,254 photographic prints, four black-and-white negatives, 11 color still negatives, and 56 original 8x10 black-and-white glass negatives. The glass negatives all date from the early 1920s, and the library has struck preservation prints of most of them. The production files contain 2,047 prints, and the biography files contain 1,207 prints.

The photographs document Coogan’s life and career, predominantly covering his years as a child star. The collection is grouped into motion picture production photographs and biography photographs. The motion picture production photographs are arranged alphabetically by film title and consist of films in which Coogan appeared. Coverage on his films as a child star in the 1920s is strong, with extensive coverage on "Oliver Twist" (1922), "Long Live the King" (1923), "Daddy" (1923), "Circus Days" (1923), "A Boy of Flanders" (1924), "Little Robinson Crusoe" (1924), "The Rag Man" (1925), and "Old Clothes" (1925). The least-represented titles are "My Boy" (1921), "The Kid" (1921), "Peck's Bad Boy" (1921), and "Trouble" (1921).

The biography photographs relate to Coogan and the Coogan family, and the bulk of the material dates from the 1920s. Personalities depicted with Coogan include Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, David Belasco, Georges Carpentier, Charles Chaplin, Irvin S. Cobb, Douglas Fairbanks, Betty Grable, Sid Grauman, Victor Herbert, Al Jolson, Sol Lesser, Frank Lloyd, Louis B. Mayer, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Anna Pavlova, Babe Ruth, Joseph M. Schenck, John Philip Sousa, and Rudolph Valentino.

Jackie Coogan (1914-1984) was born in Los Angeles. His parents were vaudevillians, and Coogan appeared on stage from his earliest youth. In 1919 he was spotted by Charlie Chaplin, who recognized the boy's screen-acting potential. After giving Coogan a small part in A DAY'S PLEASURE (1919), Chaplin cast him in a co-starring role in THE KID (1921). The film was an enormous success and made Coogan a star. By the time he reached his early teens Coogan had starred in 16 more films and was one of the highest earners in the film industry. During the 1920s it is estimated that he earned in excess of four million dollars. After an extended financial dispute with his mother and stepfather, in 1939 Coogan finally received just over $100,000 of the fortune he had earned as a child. The outcry over this situation resulted in the passage of the Coogan Law, designed to ensure that juvenile actors would receive a fair share of their earnings. From 1930 to 1984, Coogan appeared in more than 50 films, but rarely in a leading role. From 1949 to 1980, he made at least 100 television appearances on numerous programs and series, and his fame resurged with his portrayal of Uncle Fester in the 1960s television series THE ADDAMS FAMILY.