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The collection contains the office files of Senator John C. Watkins (1947- ) covering the years from 1979 through 2001 and includes correspondence, reports, memoranda, files on legislation and various topics and issues that the Virginia General Assembly addressed during this time period. The correspondence contains letters to and from Senator Watkins and includes constituent requests for favors or patronage and letters of inquiry about legislation. Correspondents include United States Senators Paul Trible and John Warner, Virginia Governors George Allen, Gerald Baliles, Thomas Bliley, James Gilmore III, Charles Robb, and L. Douglas Wilder III, and President of the United States George Bush. The legislation covers issues of importance to Senator Watkins. Of particular concern are those that represent his committee assignments, including Agriculture, Conservation and National Resources, Commerce and Labor, Local Government, and Transportation. The Powhite Parkway, the Virginia Lottery, health care, gun control, education, and Disney America are among some of the issues addressed in the collection. Watkins has been active in encouraging increased cooperation between the City of Richmond and the county governments of Henrico and Chesterfield and the collection includes materials covering those issues.

Collection of photographs and printed material from the West Virginia University Extension Service. The photographs include 4-H camps, Farm Women's Clubs and other various activities. Many are unidentified or undated. The printed material includes some annual reports, Extension Service publications regarding wildlife and tourism, and books on regional colleges and extension programs. Also included are photographs and reports from Oglebay Institute in Wheeling, WV.

The Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust Collection, 1968-2000 (bulk 1970-1998), documents the history of the Dalkon Shield, the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) manufactured and sold by the A.H. Robins Company, from purchase of the device in 1970 through tort litigation and bankruptcy settlement in 1988. The collections includes litigation material, Food and Drug Administrations documents related to its investigation of the device, A.H. Robins bankruptcy files, and samples of the IUD. The collection also documents the establishment and ten-year history of the Dalkon Shield Claimants Trust, which paid out almost $3 billion to over 218,000 claimants. Closing in 2000, this trust achieved the most successful resolution of a mass tort case during the twentieth century.

The collection consists of 9 diaries belonging to Marion Lang. The diaries detail her life in Virginia from the 1970's to the 1980's. They offer a detailed summary of daily life. The diaries consist of 5 journals and 4 spiraled notebooks.

The papers of William "Bill" Archer, newspaper journalist for the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and historian, document Archer's research and reporting of events in Southern West Virginia, predominantly Mercer and McDowell Counties. In addition to his reporting, Archer wrote a number of local history books as well as articles for publications other than the Bluefield paper.