Intending the collection to have national and international significance, Ms. Stephan regularly shopped for books for the Poetry Center on her journeys, and she urged the staff to acquire materials demonstrating the widest possible range of poetry, from its known beginnings in chants and song to contemporary experiments. According to Poetry Center annual reports, the collection grew by 100 volumes during the 1962-1963 academic year and had reached 900 volumes by Spring 1963. By 1975 the total number of volumes had increased to 4,060 and there was "a large collection of poetry periodicals and poetry recordings."