The Ames chapter of the American Association of University Women was founded on January 30, 1918 to unify university women in the community and educate women and girls on issues that affected their everyday lives. Among their various accomplishments, the Ames branch created several study groups which met to research issues of importance and also developed the Memorial Fellowship Fund which receives donations on behalf of deceased Ames branch members. This collection contains materials and scrapbooks pertaining to the Ames chapter of the American Association of University Women. The materials include branch newsletters, handbooks, awards and publications. Also included are a guest book, branch bulletins, and correspondence. These materials detail the Ames chapter's work concerning the social, educational, and civic problems in the community and their scholarship program.

The Ames chapter of the American Association of University Women was founded on January 30, 1918 with the original purpose of uniting university women in the area and focusing on social, educational, and civic problems in the Ames community. During their first and second meetings, the chapter chose their governing officers and laid out a chapter constitution, as well as set monthly meeting dates. The Iowa branches of AAUW carry out their organizational duties on a community-wide basis to keep women and girls informed about issues that affect their lives.

The Ames branch of the AAUW was involved in several activities which helped promote the organization. In its early years, the most prominent activity the Ames branch sponsored was a series of study groups on topics of interest at the time. These study groups focused on subjects such as international relations, mental hygiene, travel, creative writing, arts development, crafts, book discussion, play reading, and community problems. Occasionally group leaders would make presentations to the entire chapter to share findings and updates. The Ames branch also contributes financially to the National Fellowship Program.

The Ames branch also sponsored an annual Tour of Homes, which showcased several homes in the Ames area to the public and branch members. Homes were chosen because they possessed unique and progressive architectural features, furniture, and interior décor.

In addition to these activities, the Ames chapter of the AAUW also offers one scholarship per year to a foreign girl for study. The chapter would often contribute over half of the funds needed for a foreign girl to study at Iowa State College, but decided in 1957 to instead contribute these funds to the Memorial Fellowship Fund, a fund which consists of gifts given by friends and family of deceased Ames chapter members.

More on the history of the Ames Branch can be found in History of the Ames Branch of the American Association of University Women (see box 3).

This collection (1918-1992, undated) contains branch newsletters, handbooks, awards, publications, a guest book, branch bulletins, correspondence materials and scrapbooks. The scrapbooks contain news clippings and bulletins from the Ames branch from the years 1931-1992. Some scrapbooks are bound while others are unbound and loose-leaf. The scrapbooks also include photographs of several branch functions over the years.

The branch presidents each kept a file during their tenure which is included in the collection for the years 1958-1970. The Social Chairman's journal, kept from 1953-1957, is also included and details many of the events that she was involved in planning and hosting.