MS 341
League of Women Voters of Ames
Records, 1941-[ongoing]

Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

 

Descriptive summary
creator: League of Women Voters of Ames
title: Records
dates: 1941-[ongoing]
extent: 21.9 linear feet (40 document boxes and 3 oversized boxes)
collection number : MS 341
repository: Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information
access: Open for research
publication rights: Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation: League of Women Voters of Ames, Records , MS 341, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Historical note

 

The League of Women Voters of Ames was first represented at a meeting of the League of Women Voters of Iowa in 1925. The state league had been founded in 1920. The state group’s mission was to “promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government and to act on selected governmental issues.”

The Ames League’s activities have varied since its founding, in response to local, state, and national needs. In 1925, the group’s main activity was the annual presentation of a program to promote its mission. These presentations were called “Citizenship Schools” and were held in the ballroom of the Sheldon Munn Hotel in Ames, Iowa. In the later 1920's and early 1930's, the Ames League’s activities expanded to include work on issues of disarmament, efficiency in government, child welfare, and the marriage laws of the state of Iowa. In the early 1940's, League activities focused on housing issues, including the cost of rental housing in Ames comparative to that of other college towns. Other concerns were juvenile delinquency; the lack of presence of women on the school board; and world peace; a program scheduled for 9 December 1941, just two days after the Pearl Harbor attack, was titled “Elements of a Lasting Peace.” A major project in the 1940s was the production of a citizens’ handbook; study groups gathered information on a variety of aspects of local and county government and the Ames School system. The handbook, “This is Ames” was published in 1948, and was widely distributed in Ames.

Voter registration has been a continuing focus of activity. In I948 the League spearheaded an all out voter registration day in cooperation with several other local organizations; and in 1952, over 1500 residents were registered in one day. League members served as special deputy clerks at the four polls in Ames. In the 1950's, the League’s programs centered on an Ames school district reorganization; hospital facilities; and the issue of annexation. In the 1960's, physical education facilities in Ames and fair housing regulations were central topics. Land use and use of natural resources, local housing code, city and county recreation, local transportation (Cy-Ride Bus System), juvenile justice and solid waste disposal were major topics of the 1970's. In 1980, the League’s work focused on passage of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Education, childcare, local land use, environmental issues, and voters’ services have been continuing areas of activity.
 

 

Collection description

 

The collection documents the activities of the League of Women Voters of Ames (Iowa) from 1941 to the present.

Administrative files document the internal work of governing bodies of the Ames League and include meeting minutes, correspondence, programs, directories, and reports. Materials generated for League members, such as the League’s newsletter, the Ames Voter, are included, as are reports and brochures prepared by the Ames League for distribution to the general public. Scrapbooks documenting the League’s activities are also included. Because of cross membership and other associations, administrative files of the state league are also included.

Subject files include materials produced or gathered by the Ames League in support of its initiatives. These files are arranged topically, and include a variety of kinds of materials such as clippings, correspondence, reports, as well as guidelines and statements distributed by the National and State leagues for use by local leagues.

Although the bulk of the collection is composed of materials generated by the Ames League, associated or supporting materials generated by other local Leagues, the Iowa League of Women Voters, and the National League are included in both the administrative and the subject files.
 

 

Organization
The collection is arranged in three series:
Series 1, Administrative Files (chronological)
Series 2, League of Women Voters of Iowa Files (chronological)
Series 3, Subject Files (alphabetical)
 

 

 Description of series

 

 

 

Series 1

Administrative Files

1941-[ongoing]

extent:

11.4 linear feet (fifteen document boxes and three oversize boxes)

description:

Administrative files document the internal work of governing bodies of the Ames League and include meeting minutes, correspondence, programs, directories, and reports.  Materials generated for League members, such as the League’s newsletter, the Ames Voter, are included, as are reports and brochures prepared by the Ames League for distribution to the general public.   Scrapbooks documenting the league’s activities are also included. The series is listed chronologically.

  Container list

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

1

1

Annual program and directory

1941-1995

1

5

Board meeting minutes

1941-1946

3

7

Publicity

1946-1954

1

6

Board meeting minutes

1946-1947

22

1

This is Ames and Story County

1946-1973

1

7

Board meeting minutes

1948-1950

35

6

General Meeting Minutes

1948-1955

3

3

Correspondence - president’s files

1950-1980

1

8

Board meeting minutes

1951-1953

1

9

Board meeting minutes

1954-1958

22

2

“This is Ames”

1954-1988

22

3

Awards

1954-1988

35

7

General Meeting Minutes

1956-1964

36

OVR

Scrapbooks (2)

1956-1962

1

2

Annual reports

1958-1967

22

4

Carrie Chapman Catt

1958-1993

1

10

Board meeting minutes

1959-1963

2

1

Board meeting minutes

1964-1967

35

8

General Meeting Minutes

1964-1968

22

5

“This is Ames”

1964-1971

3

10

Ames Voter

1966-1976

22

6

Bylaws

1966-1996

22

7

Bylaws

1967-1981

2

2

Board meeting minutes

1968

1

3

Annual reports

1968-1973

35

9

General Meeting Minutes (folder 1 of 2)

1968-1974

35

10

General Meeting Minutes (folder 2 of 2)

1968-1974

37

OVR

Scrapbook

1968-1980

3

1

Board policies

1968-1980

23

1

Directories (2 of 2)

1968-1982

23

2

City Hall

1969

23

3

“Know your Country”

1969

2

3

Board meeting minutes

1969-1970

3

2

Budget

1969-1986

23

4

Voters Guides

1969-2000

3

8

Publicity

1970-1974

3

9

Treasurer’s report

1970-1988

2

4

Board meeting minutes

1971-1972

23

5

Annual Reports

1971-1972

23

6

Invitational Letters to Organization

1971-1982

3

6

Publications, Ames League

1971-1993

24

2

School Board

1972-

23

7

Municipal Candidates

1972-1991

24

1

Political Directories

1972-2000

2

5

Board meeting minutes

1973-1974

24

4

“This is Ames”

1973-1983

24

3

Board Policies

1973-1996

24

5

Ball Bearing Factory Incident

1974

1

4

Annual reports

1974-1980

35

11

General Meeting Minutes (1 of 2)

1974-1980

39

1

General Meeting Minutes (2 of 2)

1974-1980

24

6

“Ames”

1975

2

6

Board meeting minutes

1975-1976

24

8

Natural Resources Annual Reports

1975-1980

24

7

Ames and Story County Information

1975-1982

24

9

Letters to Candidates: School and City Programs

1976-1991

2

7

Board meeting minutes

1977-1978

3

11

Ames Voter

1977-1980

24

10

Library

1977-1983

24

12

Local Workshop: County Recreation

1977-1986

24

11

Local Action: Parks and Recreation

1977-1988

25

2

League Support for Steamline

1978

25

1

City Facilities Studies

1978-

2

8

Board meeting minutes

1979-1983

25

3

City Hall

1980

25

5

Voter Registration: Mobile Registers

1980-1982

39

2

General Meeting Minutes

1980-1984

3

5

Proposal for NLWV at ISU

1980-1986

25

4

Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

1980-1986

25

6

Evaluation of Candidates

1981

4

1

Ames Voter

1981-1982

38

OVR

Scrapbooks (2)

1981-1996

3

4

Correspondence - president’s files

1981-1989

25

7

All-American City Award (1 of 3)

1982-1983

25

8

All-American City Award (2 of 3)

1982-1983

25

9

All-American City Award (3 of 3)

1982-1983

39

3

Board of Directors’ Policies

1982-1987,  n.d.

26

1

Finance Drive-Local

1982-1994

26

2

Publicity (Local)

1982-1995

25

10

Directories (2 of 2)

1982-1998

26

3

Ames and Story County Citizen’s Book

1983

26

5

Attitude Survey

1983

26

6

Copyright information on Community Service Project

1983

26

7

Voters Service Notebook

1983

4

2

Ames Voter

1983-1984

26

4

Ames, Control/Defense Spending (US)

1983-1989

2

9

Board meeting minutes

1984-1985

39

4

General Meeting Minutes

1984-1986

26

8

News Election

1984-1990

26

9

LWV of Ames Supplies

1985

4

3

Ames Voter

1985-1986

26

10

Home Health Care Story County

1986-1987

26

11

Non-Residential Parking

1986-1988

39

5

General Meeting Minutes

1986-1988

2

10

Board meeting minutes

1986-1989

26

13

Voter Service Correspondence

1986-1990

26

12

Position Statements

1986-1994

26

14

City Hall Study

1987

26

15

Voter Services

1987

4

4

Ames Voter

1987-1988

27

1

Toxic Waste Cleanup Day

1988

27

2

Voter Registration

1988

39

6

General Meeting Minutes

1988-1990

4

5

Ames Voter

1989

27

4

Depot Study

1989

27

5

Story County Courthouse: Space Needs

1989-1991

27

3

Carrie Chapman Catt Hall Project

1989-1997

27

7

Ames Plan

1990

28

3

Depot Study

1990

28

8

REAP Act

1990

28

2

Courthouse Study

1990-1991

28

1

Correspondence

1990-1992

28

4

General/Annual Meeting Agendas (1 of 3)

1990-1992

27

9

Board Minutes

1990-1994

28

5

Finance Reports

1990-1994

28

7

Membership

1990-1994

39

7

General Meeting Minutes

1990-1994

27

6

Action Alerts/Responses

1990-1995

27

11

Children at Risk of Abuse

1990-1995

41

1

Observer Corps – Correspondence

1990-1996

27

10

Budget

1990-1999

27

8

Annual Meetings

1990-2000

28

10

Town Meeting – Persian Gulf Crisis

1991

28

9

Observer Report Forms

1991-1992

28

12

ERA

1992

28

11

Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics

1992-1993

28

13

Ames Community School Facilities Report

1993

28

16

Meeting and General Notes

1993

41

2

Observer Corps – Miscellaneous materials

1993, n.d.

28

6

General/Annual Meeting Agendas 2of3

1993-1994

28

14

Correspondence

1993-1995

28

15

Land Use Policy Plan (Ames)

1993-1998

28

17

Presidential Talks/Representations

1993-1999

28

18

Candidate Forums – Legislative Wake-ups

1994

28

20

General Meetings

1994-1996

39

8

General Meeting Minutes

1994-1996

28

19

Carrie Chapman Catt Summer Workshop/Scholarship

1994-1998

28

21

Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau

1995

28

22

Ames: Planning/Land Use

1995

29

1

Carrie Chapman Catt Hall dedication

1995

29

2

Carrie Chapman Catt Plaza of Heroines

1995

29

3

Correspondence

1995

29

4

General meeting (March)

1995

29

5

Archives

1995

29

6

Oral histories

1995

29

13

“How women got the vote in 1920 and the Role of Iowan Carrie Lane Chapman Catt”

1995

29

7

Political directory and voter guide

1995-1996

29

8

Publicity

1995-1996

29

9

Voter service

1995-1996

35

1

Meeting materials, general

1995-1997

28

23

Board Minutes

1995-1998

41

3

Observer Report Forms – Ames School Board

1995-1998

29

10

All-America City Award Application