This collection contains the photographs of Earl Palmer, an award-winning photographer from Cambria, Virginia, whose work depicted the landscape and traditional culture of rural Appalachia in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Materials date frome 1880 to 1989, but are primarily from the 1940s to the 1970s. The collection is divided among the following series: photographs, duplicate photographs, written materials, oversize photographs, and artifacts.

This is a pyramidical maroon and orange bag with "VIRGINIA TECH" (in print or block lettering), "Hokies" (in cursive), and the long-necked Fighting Gobbler emblem on each side.

This collection contains a photocopying services card from sometime between 1980 and 2009 that could be used to pay for photocopies at Virginia Tech University Libraries.