The Ayako “A. Mori” Costantino papers date from 1924 to 2016 and measure 20.71 linear feet (54 boxes, 2 multicollection boxes, 1 flat file) and 2.48 gigabytes. The collection is organized into eight series: Personal, Employment, Japanese American issues, Correspondence, Activism, Photographs, Audiovisual, and Artifacts.

The Personal series (1924-2013) contains materials related to Costantino’s personal life and her family. This series is divided into three sub-series: Education, Family, and Travel. The Education sub-series contains materials from elementary through high school, coursework from classes taken at the University of Iowa, and high school reunions. The Family sub-series contains materials related to Costantino’s husband, siblings, children, and grandchildren. The Travel sub-series contains maps and guides from trips, travel papers, and mementos from visits. Also included in the Personal series are materials from clubs, newspaper clippings, diaries and notebooks, and materials collected from Costantino’s life in Iowa City.

The Employment series (1946-1988) contains materials related to Costantino’s employment at the University of Iowa and federal civil service. Included are Costantino’s resume, appointment records, work grievances, and retirement from the University of Iowa College of Nursing.

The Japanese American issues series (1959-2004) contains materials mostly related to Japanese American internment during World War II. These materials primarily consist of newspaper clippings, articles, and correspondence with Costantino’s brother, Kazuo, on internment. Also included are additional articles on Japanese American culture and programs.

The Correspondence series (1944-2016) has been arranged into two sub-series: Family and Friends. Correspondence has been arranged in chronological order. The Family sub-series contains decades of correspondence with Costantino’s siblings, husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family. Also included in this sub-series are copies of Costantino’s letters sent to family and letters sent from her husband, Anthony, to his family. The Friends sub-series contains correspondence with friends that the Costantinos made in Japan, California, and in Iowa. Also included in the Correspondence series are cards, thank you notes, letters to the editor, and general correspondence.

The Activism series (1963-2016) makes up a large portion of the collection and contains materials related to Costantino’s involvement with commissions, committees, and organizations in Iowa City and the greater Iowa area, many of which focused on women’s rights, civil rights, and peace advocacy. Included are meeting minutes, reports, manuals and booklets, workshop and conference materials, awards and certificates, newspaper clippings, and periodicals.

The Photographs series (1931-2016) contains photographs of Costantino, her family, and friends. Also included are photographs from high school reunions, trips, and of Costantino supporting Jean Lloyd-Jones’s Iowa House of Representatives campaign.

The Audiovisual series (2004-2013) contains recordings of Costantino participating in an interview on the closing of Prince Edward County, Virginia, public schools, receiving the Iowa City Human Rights Commission Lifetime Achievement Award (Costantino was not in attendance, but Jean Lloyd-Jones accepted on both their behalf), and audio recordings from the Advisory Commission on Racism. Also included are recordings of Japanese songs sent to Costantino by a friend.

The Artifacts series (2011, undated) contains a variety of buttons, stickers, badges, booklets, and pins. Many of the artifacts included relate to Costantino’s activism for women’s rights and civil rights in Iowa City.