The Mary Baker Skinner papers comprise of Skinner's poetry, and a 2012 article from the Des Moines Register about Skinner and other former inmates from the state reform school. The collection also includes another article from Iowa Heritage Illustrated about an 1899 riot at the Mitchellville Girls School.

Shelved separately are Iowa Training School for Girls newsletters, which contain articles and poems by residents at the school. Included are "Campus Newsy" (1960-1964), "Excelsior" (1963), and "Tattler" (1965-1973).