The juvenile delinquency series contains information on the problem of youth within the State of Nevada criminal justice system between 1967 and 1976. Issues discussed include the need for juvenile incarceration and programs like Boys Town giving juveniles discipline rather than prison sentences. There are also reports on the effects of marijuana and substance abuse.
The criminal justice series contains documents from Ardis Kearns’ work on the Southern Nevada Regional District Allocation Committee on Police and Criminal Justice between 1964 and 1987. Subjects include gun control, prison health care, incarceration alternatives, and police and community relations. Also included are League of Women Voters documents about criminal justice.
The Clark County, Nevada land use series contains material Ardis Kearns collected on the use and beautification of Clark County between 1962 and 1986. Some newspaper clippings are photocopies of taken of originals, with the earliest dating to May 1957. Issues include parks and recreation areas, city planning, zoning, proposed sign and billboard ordinances, and underground utilities. Information about the aborted Marina Vegas development is also documented.
The energy series contains documents Ardis Kearns collected on environment-friendly forms of energy production for Southern Nevada between 1967 and 1978. Issues of air and water pollution are also explored.
The League of Women Voters (LWV) series contains information on the issues Ardis Kearns dealt with during her time in as a member of the LWV of the Las Vegas Valley, as well as the president of the LWV of Nevada between 1957 and 1987. Included are notes from League conventions and leadership training materials for its board members. There is also information on Nevada elections during the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, Kearns collected material on national issues such as voting rights for eighteen-year-olds and the Equal Rights Amendment.
The publications series contains books, leaflets, and reports collected by Ardis Kearns on subjects relating to voting, science, the environment, the arts, the criminal justice system, youth, and recreation between 1807 and 1995. The materials are primarily dated between 1960 and 1986, but some research publications are from the 1920s. There are also two volumes of A Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts from 1807 and 1808.