Papers of NOW officer Mary Jean Collins, 1966-1988

The collection contains mostly correspondence with some notes and speeches by Collins, minutes, agendas, clippings, printed material, and photographs. Materials document the wide-range of positions Collins held within NOW, including office administrator, Midwest Regional Director, Task Force Coordinator, board member, co-director of the NOW ERA campaign, and Action Vice President. Folder headings are those of Collins unless otherwise noted; archivist's headings and notes are in square brackets.

Materials received by the Schlesinger Library after May 2002 were added to the collection in February 2014 and are represented in #15.14-26.7. When the finding aid was updated, Series II, Subseries G, Administration, and H, Campaigns, as well as Series IV, Photographs, were added. Files in the original collection remain in the same order. Folders added in February 2014 are listed in intellectual, not sequential, order.

All printed material by or about Collins, as well as all printed material with annotations, has been kept in the collection. Other NOW publications and reports, except those created by Collins, were transferred to the NOW records in the Schlesinger Library. Non-NOW printed material produced by mainstream organizations and publications was discarded; leaflets and other ephemera of small, transient organizations were retained.

Series I, PERSONAL, 1969-1987 (#1.1-1.14, 15.14), contains copies of and correspondence relating to speeches by Collins, personal correspondence, clippings about Collins and her role in NOW's Equal Rights Amendment campaign, and correspondence and printed material relating to Collins' 1985 job search.

Series II, NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN (NOW), 1966-1988 (#2.1-15.5, 15.15-26.7, F+D.1-F+D.3, T-498.1 - T-498.2), includes correspondence, agendas, minutes, printed material, notes, etc. It is divided into six subseries.

Subseries A, Conferences and Meetings, 1970-1985 (#2.1-3.18, 15.15-17.5), contains correspondence, agendas, minutes, and Collins' notes. Papers are arranged in the following order: Executive Committee meetings, National Board meetings, National Conferences, miscellaneous NOW meetings.

Subseries B, Budget, 1970-1985 (#3.19-4.7), contains correspondence, minutes of Budget Committee meetings, budgets, and Collins' notes. These papers date from 1982 to 1985 and are arranged chronologically.

Subseries C, Chapters and Regions, 1969-1985 (#4.8-6.4, 17.6), contains correspondence, clippings, printed material, and Collins' notes relating to various actions undertaken by each group. Papers are grouped alphabetically by region (Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-South, Northeast, Northwest, Prairie States, South Central, Southeast, Southwest), and within each region, alphabetically by state.

Subseries D, Task Forces, 1968-1975 (#6.5-6.13, 17.7-18.11, F+D.1, T-498.1 - T-498.2), contains correspondence, clippings, and printed material concerning activities of the various task forces, as well as correspondence, notes, and training materials relating to Collins' role as leader of task force training sessions for national board members and task force leaders. Files are arranged alphabetically by task force name, followed by training materials filed alphabetically.

Subseries E, Correspondence, 1967-1985 (#6.14-7.8, 18.12-20.7), contains memos written by Collins and correspondence with and relating to various individuals and organizations. Much of the correspondence from 1967 to 1975 consists of letters sent to NOW officers, notably Aileen Hernandez and Betty Friedan, that were routed through the NOW office in Chicago, which was managed by Jim Collins-Robson's company, C-R Office Programs. Letters discuss office administration, NOW actions, chapter activities, and NOW conferences and meetings. Correspondence from 1983 to 1985 consists mainly of memos written by Collins to NOW officers, chapter presidents, and NOW general membership containing updates on issues NOW planned responses to or organized actions on. Folders are arranged chronologically.

Subseries F, Subject Files, 1966-1988 (#8.1-15.5, F+D.2, 20.8-22.2), contains correspondence, clippings and printed material relating to various topics of concern to NOW, most extensively abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment (nationally and within individual states), and lesbian rights (concerning efforts against anti-gay ballot initiatives and efforts to eliminate homophobic attitudes). Papers are arranged alphabetically by topic and both chronologically and alphabetically within topics.

Subseries G, Administration, 1966-1974 (#22.3m-24.4), includes correspondence, notes, mailing lists, membership applications, etc., relating to the administration of NOW's Chicago office between 1966 and 1971. Collins served as a liaison between NOW's national board and C-R Office Programs, ensuring that requests for information were filled and that mailing lists were kept up to date. She also assisted in the hiring of an office administrator for NOW's Chicago office in 1973. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries H, Campaigns, 1975-1985 (#24.5-26.7, F+D.3), includes financial records, notes, correspondence, printed campaign materials, etc., relating to Collins' unsuccessful 1975 bid for NOW's presidency, her successful 1982 bid for NOW Vice President-Action, and her unsuccessful 1985 bid for NOW Vice President-Action. Files are arranged chronologically, then alphabetically.

Series III, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, 1973-1987 (#15.6-15.13), contains correspondence, printed material, and Collins' notes on organizations she was involved with outside of NOW, including her position on the Drafting Committee of the 1984 National Democratic Platform and NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund. Papers are arranged alphabetically by organization name.

Series IV, PHOTOGRAPHS, 1974-1985 (#PD.1-PD.2), contains photographs from NOW meetings and of Collins in the NOW office and at NOW events. Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be digitized and available online.