The University of Iowa Department of Physical Education for Women records date from 1900 to 2010 and measure 75 linear feet. The papers are arranged in thirteen series: Departmental history, Administrative correspondence, Administrative Records, Facilities, Intercollegiate athletics, Student organizations, Professional organizations, World War II, Publications, Photographs, Artifacts, and Audio Visual materials. The Women's Recreation Association (WRA) records are held in a separate collection-the University of Iowa Department of Physical Education for Women/Women's Recreational Association-at the Iowa Women's Archives.

The Departmental History series (1934-1999) contains university publications, correspondence, and three scrapbooks that document and reflect the social activities and departmental accomplishments achieved by both students and faculty of the Department of Physical Education for Women. Obituaries, eulogies and remembrances of deceased faculty and alumnus complete the series.

The Administrative Correspondence series (1916-1995) includes class schedules, newspaper clippings from the 1930s and 1940s, literature about gymnasium clothing from 1930 and 1964, a student-teacher report, and correspondence relating to the pros and cons of the physical education requirement. The administrative correspondence of three former department chairs: Elizabeth Halsey (1925-1955), M. Gladys Scott (1955-1974) and Margaret Fox (1974-1978) comprise the bulk of this series. Interfiled within their correspondence are those of persons serving as interim chairs, including Marjorie Camp and Miriam Taylor during Halsey's tenure.

The Intercollegiate Athletics series (1953-1997) traces the formal organization and development of intercollegiate athletics for women at The University of Iowa. In addition to administrative records, this series includes records from the university's Women's Intercollegiate Sport Committee (WISC), the statewide Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Committee (WIAC), and the national and state Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women organizations (AIAW and IAIAW). The Intramurals sub series consists primarily of records from the Big Ten Women's Intramural Conferences. At these conferences, women's physical educators discussed and debated the merits and logistics of offering intramural and extramural sport activities for college women. Supporting documents such as school intramural handbooks and surveys on women's sport programs are included.

The Student Organizations series documents the yearly activities of the Iowa City Field Hockey Club, whose membership consisted of women's physical education faculty members, former students, and Iowa City residents. This series also contains records from the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) and the Midwest Field Hockey Association (MWFHA). The Iowa City Field Hockey Club hosted the Midwest Tournament in 1956 and 1962. They joined the student-run WAA Field Hockey Club in welcoming the Welsh Touring Team in 1936, and they hosted teams from Switzerland and Argentina for the 1963 USFHA International Tour. The Iowa City Field Hockey Club often practiced and played against the WRA Field Hockey Club (see the WRA Series). Also included in the Student Organizations series, materials on the P.E. Major Council (1922-1974) documents the activities and organizational structure of this group and the affiliated P.E. Majors (P.E.M.) Alumnae Association. This sub-series includes the constitutions, minutes accounts, and correspondence, as well as their newsletter, "Major Matters," and information on banquets and social activities.

The Professional Organizations (1900-1997) series houses records from the variety of national, regional and state organizations to which department faculty members belonged. These organizations focused on issues and debates in the areas of physical education, health, recreation, intramurals and sport.

The World War II series (1941-1942) is comprised of materials relating to military leisure and recreation programs, the United Service Organizations (USO), and papers advocating specific wartime physical education and training programs for college women, naval aviation schools, and others. The USO file also includes two pieces of correspondence from Iowa students reporting on the USO and recreation opportunities.

The Administrative Records series (1916-2006) contains financial records, meeting minutes, course outlines and teaching material for skills and major courses. Included are academic requirements for undergraduate and graduate students, a departmental analysis, and research files that contain data, statistical analyses, and manuscripts written by both faculty and students. Margaret Fox's research and teaching materials were removed and placed within the Margaret Fox papers.

The Facilities series (1944-1979) includes a 1944 "Needs and Plans" report prepared by the department relating to building and equipment needs, and budgets and correspondence dealing with a proposed addition to the Women's Gymnasium (1951-1952).

A collection of periodicals, educational and government issued pamphlets, and teaching manuals pertaining to issues of health, physical education and recreation are located in the Publications (1914-1984) series. Shelved with the printed works collection are the 1927 through 1932 bound volumes of the Sportswoman, The Theory and Technique of Women's Basketball (1929) by Marjorie E. Fish, and the Girl Scout Song Book (1929) published by the Girls Scouts, Inc. A number of faculty and student research publications are also included in this series.

An extensive collection of Photographs (1906-2006) depict a wide variety of athletic activities, in addition to portraits of faculty and students, university buildings, children's classes, and departmental social events. Photographs of alumnus were collected for the department's centennial anniversary.

The Artifacts series includes a wooden volleyball Champs placard, unidentified wool basketball uniform and a blue tunic worn with bloomers, as well as a number of scrapbooks and other ephemera.

The Audio Visual series (1933-2001) consists of reel-to-reel films of sporting events (primarily field hockey), instructional guides for sport and recreation, thesis/student projects and miscellaneous topics such as modern dance and posture. The series also includes CBS's broadcast of the 1991 NCAA final between Iowa and Vanderbilt, and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Iowa women's intercollegiate sports program that includes remarks by Christine Grant and University of Iowa President Mary Sue Coleman, an historical overview of women's sports at the University of Iowa and interviews with former University of Iowa women athletes.