Definitions of "private press" vary depending on the person or written source consulted, but a private press is generally understood to be a printing or publishing company owned by one, or a small group, of people. A primary focus of the private press is to create an artistic or craft-based work, often issued in small print runs, rather than a mass produced work created by the company primarily for profit. According to Clyde C. Walton's "Second Note" in The Private Press in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin (1973), an unwritten understanding of the private press is that the product is often a very personal endeavor, as artworks and crafts often are. The actual presses are often owned by the proprietor, and the type is often hand set.

This collection (1962-1981) of Iowa private press ephemera contains advertising leaflets for upcoming publications, printers' proofs, a photograph, prints, poetry publication leaflets, and science fiction and fantasy zines. These pieces of ephemera, which were primarily produced by presses in and around Iowa City, almost exclusively relate to poetry, except for the Stygian Isle Press material, which includes fantasy and science fiction publications.

Information on the presses included in this collection can also be found in the Northern Illinois University Libraries' 1973 publication The Private Press in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin (Parks General Collection, call number Z231.5.P7 144x).

The collection is organized alphabetically.