The Norma Peg Burke papers date from 1965 to 1995 and measure 9.2 linear feet. The papers are arranged in four series: Equality in women's athletics, Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), Women's equality and Speeches. The bulk of this collection documents the activities of the AIAW from 1970 to 1995 and chronicles its relationship with the NCAA during this period. Included is a selection of official records of the AIAW from the years 1975 through 1982.

The Equality in women's athletics series (1965-1979) concerns several issues in women's athletics. These include the attempt of the NCAA to take over women's athletics, the implementation of the Title IX policy regarding equality of the sexes in all aspects of education and the movement to modify Iowa high schools' traditional six-player girls' basketball game.

The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was established in 1971 as a unit of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sports (NAGWS) to administer women's collegiate athletics in the United States. NAGWS was a division of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAPHER). The AIAW divided the country into nine regions. Executive board members were elected from large and small four year institutions. Junior and community colleges were also represented. Mission and expenses information for the organization can be found in the Long Range Planning Committee folder under the Committees subseries. Statistics on female participation in sports are found throughout the Sports and Topical files subseries.

The AIAW series (1970-1995) consists of ten subseries: Administration, Committees, Executive Board Meetings, Living History Workshop, NCAA/AIAW relations, Presidential files, Publications, Topical files, Sports files and Artifacts. They chronicle the time before, during, and after Burke's service as president of the organization.

The Administration subseries (1974-1995) includes correspondence, memos and information on the structure and proposed changes to the structure of the AIAW.

The Committees subseries (1974-1980) includes correspondence and reports from the committees with which Burke was involved. It, however, does not include material from every committee formed under AIAW.

The semi-annual and special meetings of AIAW's Executive Board are documented in Executive board meetings subseries (1974-1982). It also includes meetings of the AIAW Delegate Assemblies. Reports, motions, agendas and planning correspondence make up the bulk of this subseries.

AIAW held a Living History Workshop and Presidential Review in 1980 at the University of Iowa. The Living History Workshop subseries (1980) consists of speeches and session materials from several past presidents of AIAW and student attendee papers. Burke wrote comments and grades on many of the student papers.

The NCAA and AIAW worked together on many issues, but the relationship turned more contentious in the latter half of AIAW's existence. That's when the NCAA started pushing to administer women's championships themselves. The NCAA/AIAW relations subseries documents the evolving relationship between the two athletic organizations from the inception of AIAW in 1971 to its dissolution in 1982. Related materials can be found in the Delegate Assembly folders in the Executive Board Meeting subseries, especially the folders from 1979-1982.

The Presidential files subseries (1973-1979) contains speeches and correspondence from several of AIAW's presidents, including Burke. For other speeches written by Burke, see the Speeches series in this collection.

The Publications subseries (1972-1979) has official newsletters and pamphlets from the AIAW as well as publications from various schools and organizations that belonged to AIAW.

Issues ranging from homophobia in sports to Big Ten membership to relations with the media are covered in the Topical files subseries (1974-1986). The folder titles are consistent with the original folder titles. Topics give insight into the inner workings of AIAW, including elections, financial aid, and the membership base of the organization.

The Sports files subseries (1975-1979) includes AIAW rules, correspondence and championship information for sports such as badminton, volleyball, and swimming.

The Artifacts subseries includes one zippered pouch with the AIAW logo on it.

The Women's equality series (1975-1979) chronicles Burke's involvement with several women's rights groups, including the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and the Iowa Coordinating Committee of International Women's Year.

The Speeches series (1973-1993, and undated) includes speeches written and given by Burke at various events, including those related to AIAW and the ERA. Topics range from politics to sport to women's equality. In several speeches, Burke references her childhood in Kentucky and her lifelong love of sport and physical education. The series also contains drafts of the speeches and correspondence regarding events and speaking engagements. Also included is a copy of the Nov. 15, 1979, edition of Vital Speeches of the Day, in which one of Burke's speeches on women's equality appears.