The Marian Havlik papers contain Biographical and Prsonal Materials, Malacological Survey Project Materials, Reports, Mussel Research Files, and Subject Files in conjunction with her work as a malacologist doing field work mainly in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries. Havlik was not associated with a particular governmental agency but began her own business that she named Malacological Consultants.

Biographical and Personal Materials include awards, family clippings, correspondence, photographs and other biographical material about Havlik. Survey Project Materials include field data, correspondence, contracts and other materials relating to mussel surveys and other scientific surveys conducted by Havlik over the course of her professional career. Reports include the draft and final reports from these surveys, as well as impact assessments and scholarly reviews for academic journals. Mussel Research Files include abstracts written by Havlik, clippings about Havlik’s survey activities, dissertations and theses, ecological recovery plans, government publications, newsletters, reports and scientific articles by other researchers, novelty mussel items and other miscellaneous materials. Subject files comprise half of the collection size and include correspondence files with prominent malacologists, records of membership in scientific and professional organizations, grant application files, and files on lectures and workshops given by Havlik.