The Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart papers date from 1925 to 1982 and measure 12.25 linear inches.

The bulk of the collection is correspondence. Two letters from 1927 (from Jay Darling) discuss Zwart's prospects for securing employment at the Des Moines Tribune and note the importance of not appearing to be just a "'charming young thing' who thinks it would be romantic to 'work at the paper.'" Other early letters are from Zwart to her family when she was travelling in Europe in 1928, and letters from authors whose books she reviewed during the 1930s.

Letters from the 1940s and 1950s relate to articles and short stories which Zwart had published in magazines such as Reader's Digest and Colliers. Other letters pertain to Zwart's column, "The Front Row."   Contracts with Better Homes and Gardens for Zwart's cooking column are found amongst the correspondence from the 1960s. After 1960 the bulk of correspondence is related to Zwart's column, "The Front Row." Readers (from Iowa as well as other parts of the country) wrote letters of appreciation for the column and also offered information they thought might be of interest to Zwart. Scattered throughout the correspondence files are letters from family members and other letters of a more personal nature.

Early material from the 1920s includes Zwart's 1925 passport and a travel diary (kept by both Zwart and her husband, Donald Metcalf) from the tour the two took of Europe during 1928.

The Des Moines Tribune and Des Moines Register (where Zwart's columns can be found) are held on microfilm by the University of Iowa Libraries.