Charles Potts was born in Idaho Falls in 1943 and was raised on a ranch in Idaho. By 1963 he was already publishing poetry. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1965 with a degree in English. He took part organizing, producing, and publishing of Beat era poets for over fifty years. The collection includes broadsides, newsletters, postcards, and ephemera collected and produced by Potts.

This collection contains materials pertaining to U.S. public folklore programs within their respective states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The collection materials include pamphlets, brochures, programs, newsletters, correspondence, etc.

This collection is largely composed of flyers and posters advertising punk concerts and performances in the San Francisco area.

The J.P. Smith Printing Company was a local printing establishment in Logan, Utah, founded in 1881 by John P. Smith and Clarence Cummings.