What's New in Special Collections: Congressional Papers of Bob Barr Open for Research

 

On May 15 the Bob Barr Congressional Papers were officially opened for research with a reception honoring the former Congressman at Ingram Library. The project of processing Barr's collection took over two years with most of the work accomplished by graduate students under the supervision of Suzanne K. Durham, the Head of Special Collections.

Barr donated his papers to the university in 2010 as an outgrowth of his association with Dr. Mel Steely, director of Georgia's Political Heritage Program. Steely, retired emeritus professor of history, interviewed Barr for the program's archives in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

The Barr papers include almost 800 boxes of material from his four terms in Congress 1995-2003. A 400-page finding aid was produced; it is available online at:  http://libguides.westga.edu/content.php?pid=33218&sid=272238

Pictured here, left to right, are Suzanne Durham, Bob Barr, Dr. Mel Steely, and graduate students Toni Alexander, Jason Kennedy, and Jennifer Little.