The Sally Novetzke papers date from 1974 to 2008 and measure 8.2 linear feet in 19 boxes. The papers are arranged in three series: Republican Party Involvement, Ambassadorship, and Organizational Involvement. The bulk of the collection is related to her involvement in the Republican Party and her role as US Ambassador to Malta.

The Republican Party Involvement series (1974-2000) covers Novetzke’s longstanding role in the Republican Party as an activist and Chair of the Linn County office. An early supporter of George HW Bush, Novetzke was the first woman to become the State Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party in 1985 and the State Co-Chairman of George Bush for President in 1988, the 1980 and 1984 Reagan/Bush campaigns, the 1980 Bush for President campaign, and Tom Tauke's Congressional campaign. Novetzke also was a Delegate to the National, State, District or County Republican conventions from 1974 to 1988. Materials include newspapers, photographs, correspondence, convention memorabilia, campaign items and bumper stickers.

The Ambassadorship series (1989-1993) contains materials from her time as the US Ambassador to Malta, a small island nation off the coast of southern Italy. The island is known for its centrality in the Mediterranean, where “the East meets the West, and the South meets the North.” The series is made up of correspondence, photographs, reception guestlists and invitations, as well as a collection of newspaper articles marking Novetzke’s time as ambassador. The Malta Summit subseries (1989) covers the 1989 summit between the United States President George HW Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev that took place on December 2 and 3 off the coast of Malta, just a few months after Novetzke became Ambassador. The subseries contains four videocassettes, photographs, packets, and pamphlets from and about the summit, as well as speeches Novetzke gave reflecting on her role.

The Organizational Involvement series (1998-2008) offers a glimpse into the other activities Novetzke participated in outside of the Republican Party. Materials consist of conference agendas, speeches, and correspondence from Novetzke’s vocational education stewardship, Rice University, and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, among others.