The Mary Mascher papers date from 1975 to 2022 and measure 20.71 linear feet (51 boxes). The collection is organized into seven series: Personal, Teaching and counseling career, Activism and volunteering, Iowa House of Representatives, Photographs, Audiovisual, and Artifacts. Most of the collection material is related to Mascher’s legislative career.

The Personal series (1975-2022) contains materials related to Mascher’s education, family, personal correspondence, biographies and profiles, and awards in recognition of personal excellence. Also included is a University of Iowa College of Education commencement speech given by Mascher.

The Teaching and counseling career series (1975-2019) contains Mascher’s teaching certificates and other documentation of her educational career, including newspaper clippings, correspondence from students, parents, and other teachers, and materials related to the Reading Recovery program and the Reading Recovery National Teacher Award.

The Activism and volunteering series (1975-2016) documents Mascher’s community organizing and civic engagement activities. The series is divided into three subseries: National Wildlife Federation conservation summits, Iowa’s sesquicentennial celebration, and Political. The National Wildlife Federation conservation summits sub-series contains materials related to multiple summits where Mascher worked as an educator. Included are lists of attendees, activity lists, training information, maps, and brochures of each site. The Iowa sesquicentennial celebration documents Mascher’s appointment to the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission and includes commission notes and minutes, correspondence, event programs, and promotional ephemera. This subseries also contains materials related to the Festival of American Folklife and Festival of Iowa Folklife, which hosted events celebrating Iowan folk art and culture during the sesquicentennial. The Political sub-series contains materials related to Mascher’s activism in Democratic politics outside of her legislative service, such as records of various Democratic and progressive political organizations, presidential campaigns, and groups for women in government. Also included in the Activism and volunteering series are materials related to Mascher’s appointment to the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission.

The Iowa House of Representatives series (1984-2022) makes up most of the collection and contains materials related to Mascher’s career in the Iowa legislature. The series is organized into 10 sub-series: Bills, Campaigns and elections, Committees, Correspondence, Democratic caucus, Educational issues, Events, Legislative resources, Press and communications, and Topical files.

The Bills sub-series contains lists of proposed legislation sponsored by Mascher and annotated bill texts. The Campaigns and elections sub-series contains materials from Mascher’s legislative campaigns. Included are affidavits of candidacy, promotional materials such as yard signs and mailers, financial disclosures, endorsements, training materials for volunteers, and a scrapbook documenting Mascher’s first campaign and election in 1994. The Committees sub-series comprises notes and meeting minutes from various House committees and sub-committees, including those related to the education committee, ethics committee, and state government committee. The Correspondence sub-series includes letters from constituents, other legislators, and lobbyists. General correspondence is organized by year, while correspondence on specific issues is organized alphabetically by either topic or sender’s surname.

The Democratic caucus sub-series contains materials from the Iowa Democratic Party and Iowa House of Representatives’ Democratic caucus. Included are party agendas, issue briefs prepared by Democratic research staff, bill summaries, fundraising plans, resource manuals, session reports, candidate lists, and training packets. The Educational issues sub-series contains topical files related to early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary education in Iowa, with some materials specifically designed for teachers, administrators, and/or education boards. Also included are scans of various resources and reports related to education. The Events sub-series documents presidential and gubernatorial inaugurations, legislative workshops, a women’s legislator candidates’ event, and the Pioneer Lawmakers Association biennial meeting. The Legislative resources sub-series contains basic orientation and reference materials for Iowa legislators, such as handbooks, directories, district maps, and calendars.

The Press and communications sub-series combines press coverage of Mascher and other Iowa Democrats, as well as Mascher’s own newsletter and speeches. Issues of Mascher’s constituent newsletter “Statehouse News,” are organized chronologically by publication year. This sub-series also contains newspaper clippings and press releases on elections, events, and legislative issues, as well as media contacts and media training materials. Records of Mascher’s speeches include transcripts and notes and primarily document speeches delivered by Mascher on the House floor. These files are organized chronologically by year. The Topical files sub-series is arranged alphabetically by subject and includes materials Mascher collected on various political issues. Materials present in the topical files include brochures and flyers, articles, correspondence, notes, and newspaper clippings. Also included in the Iowa House of Representatives series are personalized stationery, awards, and a stenographer’s notebook of to-do lists.

A set of born-digital records of Mascher’s legislative service were transferred to the Iowa Women’s Archives via a thumb drive. These files primarily consist of letters Mascher wrote in response to correspondence from constituents between 1995 and 2016, as well as copies of Mascher’s newsletter from 2016 to 2017 and digital photographs documenting Mascher’s legislative service (also 2016 to 2017).

The Photographs series (1999-2015) contains photographs from Mascher’s personal life, professional careers, and headshots. Included are photos of Mascher at the Iowa Legislature, Johnson County legislators, and presidential campaigns.

The Audiovisual series (1994-2007) consists of audio and videocassettes, some of which have been digitized. Most of the audiovisual materials are resources related to Mascher’s issues of interest, particularly education and women in politics. The series also includes recordings of a promotional video for the Clinton/Gore Democratic presidential ticket, a radio ad for Iowa tourism, and a copy of the public access television show Iowa’s Agenda featuring Mascher and Iowa House Republican Walt Tomenga.

The Artifacts series (1993-2002) contains bumper stickers on various political issues, a name plate from the Iowa Legislature, a campaign t-shirt, ephemera from events such as the 1997 presidential inauguration and the 1996 Iowa sesquicentennial celebration, and baseball cards from the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa.