Before processing, the material was contained in cardboard boxes. Most was in good condition excepting one bunch of fairly recent correspondence which had suffered severe moisture damage. The processing of this collection was begun by Scott Christensen and Charlotte Wright, students in an archives management class in the spring of 1984. Manuscripts librarian Bradford Cole completed the initial processing and foldering of the collection. Additional Thatcher material was later discovered which should have been included in this processing. Scott Christensen, after June, 1986 an employee of Utah State University Special Collections, was assigned to assimilate the newly discovered material into the existing Thatcher collection. In doing so, many new categories had to be created and all folders and boxes re-labeled.

The actual processing of the collection included carefully examining and classifying all materials present. Correspondence was removed from original envelopes and information from them carefully transferred to the letters themselves. A perpetual calendar was used to date partially dated material. In a few cases, educated guesses concerning dating had to be made. When this was necessary, question marks and brackets were included.

Material in a state of acid deterioration has been treated using Wei-T'O, a de-acidifying agent. These items include all newspaper clippings and the vaudeville poster. All materials have been placed in acid free folders and hollinger boxes.