The Fifth District of the Iowa Nurses Association records date from 1922 to 2000 and measure 2 linear feet. The records are arranged in the following series, By-laws, Correspondence, District Meeting Minutes, Board of Directors, Financial Records, Manuals, Membership Information, Newsletters, President's Report, Programs, and Photographs. The collection is strongest in its documentation of Fifth District activities from 1965 to 1991.

The By-laws series consists of the present constitution and by-laws and any revisions or deletions. Correspondence is of a routine nature and covers only the years 1968 to 1979. District Meeting Minutes document election results and motions made and carried. The 1999-2000 meeting minutes are a more specific collection of materials from the president's binder including program flyers, treasurer reports, and e-mail correspondence. General Assembly minutes provide the only documentation of the first decade of the organization's existence.

The Manuals series consists of a 1990 convention manual and three orientation manuals designed to assist the leadership in organizing; policy making; planning; communication; and running meetings. Membership Information is incomplete, covering only scattered years between 1959 and 1975. Included are the results of a questionnaire that was distributed by membership-public relations committees at the 1970 INA Convention, asking for suggestions on how to make the Iowa Nurse's Association more effective.

Issues of the Fifth District newsletter, The Fifth Column (1960) and Vital Signs (1965-1994) are contained in the Newsletters series. From 1997-1999, the organization collected issues of Legislative Connection, a weekly newsletter that reported the action in the Iowa legislature regarding health issues and followed bills of interest through the legislative process.

The President's Report series provides a good overview of the Fifth District activities for the years 1985 to 1991. Included are actions taken by the board, budget reports, program-committee reports, goals and objectives and an annual narrative by the president. Photographs date primarily from the 1950s. They depict state and national convention activities, state executive officers, banquets, and speakers. The Board of Directors series includes minutes from board of directors meetings dating from 1990 to 1994. The board of directors' binder includes information from the board of directors meetings from 1999-2000. Also in this binder is a collection of issues and points of business addressed during these meetings. Some of these include INA stance on the 2000 presidential candidates, recent health related federal and state legislation, and INA position statements on specific healthcare issues. E-mail correspondence between board members is also included.