This series consists of records relating to preparation for President Wolfensohn's participation in the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) Board of Governors and the Spring Meetings of the IMF and WBG Board of Governors. These records primarily take the form of briefing materials containing logistical information, talking points, and background information on countries and topics to be discussed at individual meetings.

The IMF and WBG Board of Governors Annual Meetings take place annually in the fall and alternate between the WBG's headquarters in Washington, D.C. and, every third year, in a member country. The Spring Meetings take place annually in the spring in Washington, D.C. During Annual Meetings, the WBG and IMF Boards of Governors meet in plenary sessions where broader policy discussions related to the two institutions is discussed. Meetings of the WBG-IMF Development Committee and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) take place at both the Annual and Spring Meetings, as do other meetings and events where representatives of civil society organizations, journalists, private sector executives, academics, WBG and IMF staff, and representatives of other international organizations also participate.

During both Annual and Spring Meetings, the WBG president participates in many of the aforementioned meetings as well as bilateral meetings with member country leaders and senior officials, representatives of civil society including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), business leaders, and others. He also delivers an opening address and participates in media availabilities and social events.

Records in this series primarily take the form of briefing materials prepared in advance of meetings and other events participated in by President Wolfensohn during Annual and Spring Meetings. A smaller amount of briefing materials included in this series relate to preparatory meetings involving President Wolfensohn held prior to the Annual and Spring Meetings. Thematic briefing materials which are prepared not for specific meetings but for the president's general briefing on specific topics are also included.

Briefing materials vary in size and types of information. Most folders include a "Document Log" sheet that is generated by EXC's document management system. The log contains a field for information related to the meeting or event; information may include meeting name, participants list, contacts' information, venue, and other notes. Logs for thematic briefing materials often contain an index.

Note that handwritten notes, presumably by President Wolfensohn as well as others, are sometimes found on the records in this series.

The most common type of briefing materials are those created in support of the president's bilateral meetings with country delegations. These records can include: a list of participants; biographies of meeting participants; key issues for discussion; issues to be raised by meeting counterparts (often shared by the counterpart prior to the meeting); notes on the country's engagement with the WBG (i.e. loans, IDA contributions, procurement, trust funds, etc.); notes from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); minutes from past meetings; recent relevant correspondence with representatives of the country; and recent internal memoranda in which the country was discussed.

Briefing materials for the president's participation in Development Committee and IMFC meetings are included in this series. Records can include a seating chart, constituency list, list of observers, agenda, steering brief from the committee's executive secretary, Development Committee communique, background on topics to be discussed, and talking points for President Wolfensohn's participation.

Briefing materials for the president's meetings with civil society and NGOs and regional governors (group meetings including the WBG president and multiple governors of individual regions) are also included in this series and consist of similar materials as described above. President Wolfensohn also participated in meetings and townhalls during Annual and Spring Meetings in which he made speeches; materials related to these activities are also included in this series.

Briefing materials created in preparation for engagements with the media are also included in this series. These engagements can include interviews and press conferences with media from around the world during which various topics are discussed. Materials can consist of a suggested main message or talking points, background resources, and question and answer documents containing suggested answers to specific questions. Transcripts of media engagements, including press conferences, are sometimes included. Also included are folders of press coverage which generally consist of newspaper clippings, journal articles, or printed out online articles that relate to Annual or Spring.

Thematic briefing binders relate to a variety of operational and administrative topics and are created as needed for general use but especially for media appearances. A thematic briefing binder can contain between 20-30 topics such as debt and debt sustainability, IDA, budget and compensation, trade, education, human rights, the environment, etc. Briefing materials can consist of notes created specifically for the briefing, reports or portions of reports, internal correspondence or memoranda, etc.