The Selma Holo papers consists of publications, reports, photographs, and research notes created and collected by Selma Holo. Included are the original typescript of Dr. Holo's dissertation; typescripts of two of her publications, "Beyond the Prado" and "Managing Memory"; research files produced during trips to Mexico and Spain; research for the exhibition "Keepers of the Flame"; and various personal and ephemeral items.

Selma Holo included the following message to future users of the collection when she donated an accrual to her papers in 2024:

"I am donating my archives so that there is evidence of the work that I did between about 1973 and my retirement in 2022. The boxes include work and materials from before the time I came to USC in 1981 when I was formally employed at Art Center College of Design; was doing research curating and publishing at the Getty (but not formally employed there); and the Norton Simon Museum. It includes lots of independent projects, articles, catalogues, newspaper articles. Although I did donate a great deal of material, I notice that this is by no means a complete history.

At the same time, there are some precious things in here, like letters handwritten from Jennifer Jones when I was curating at Norton Simon, a typed note from Mike Nichols, and one from our Warren Bennis. Still, there are many things that are NOT included here. There are many missing things, missing exhibitions, some of which can be pieced together by going to the USC archives online. Also, go to Webcat for Fisher Gallery, known later as the USC Fisher Museum of Art. Other things that can be found in the USC online archives are interviews (oral histories that I conducted and that I gave). I did lots of radio work for KCRW; their archives or Google would be a place to locate them. I am working on my memoirs and will add them to the archives when they are complete.

This is mostly professional but when you have a career such as I enjoyed, it is often impossible to separate the personal from the professional: the artists who became friends; the work trips that imprinted my personality forever; the colleagues at USC who remained in my life forever. Through it all: my family. Robbie and Chris, Sam and Jo; Josh and his children, Nelson and Ghita. My mother Ghita Reuben Olit; my cousin Alice Berger. All of these people were a part of my life in art. Nothing would have mattered without them. Thank you USC, Thank you Barbara Robinson, for accepting these archives."