The Marcella Henley Smith papers date from 1938 to 1999 and measure 5 linear inches. The papers consist of Confetti, a book of short essays Smith wrote describing her life in rural Iowa from childhood through aging adulthood; letters Smith wrote to her mother and brother, Bill, during a month-long trip she took east and into Canada in 1938, along with two letters sent to Smith from her mother and one from family friend, Pearl Richey; several journals in which Smith documents her reading from 1959 to 1992; book lists; and newspaper articles that were originally stuffed into the reading journals that cover such topics as new publications, U.S. presidents and world history.