Barber Library Archival Collections
COCC Barber Library houses several unique collections of regional interest. Due to the archival nature of these materials, they are for in-library use only. Some have been digitized to view online through the links below.
On This Page:
- Ashleigh Brilliant Collection
- College Archives
- Pence Documents
- Shevlin-Hixon Oral History Tapes
- Van Vleet Photo Collection
Ashleigh Brilliant Collection
Dr. Ashleigh Brilliant was an Assistant Professor of History at Central Oregon College (later Central Oregon Community College) from September 1964 until June 1965. The circumstances of his departure were controversial and attracted much attention. The collection contains personal papers, published works, newspaper articles, meeting minutes, and an ACLU report.
A finding aid with a detailed description of this collection is available on Archives West: Ashleigh Brilliant Papers, 1964-2002.
College Archives
The Library houses the College Archives, materials that document the history and development of COCC since its foundation, and, in particular, to provide documentation of its teaching and learning functions; the activities of its diverse student body; its role in the state of Oregon and the community at large; and its place in American higher education and workforce development.
For more details, including information for those interested in contributing materials, see the College Archives page.
As of July 2023, work is underway to improve the organization and preservation of the College Archives. Access is currently by appointment only. Contact us to make arrangements to use or view materials in the College Archives.
Pence Documents
Don P. Pence served first as director of Central Oregon Community College (from 1950 to 1957) and then as the first president (from 1957 to 1967).
The library maintains a collection of published and unpublished material written by Don Pence as well as Dorothy Kellogg, Presidents Secretary 1953-67, and Orde Pinckney, Dean of Faculty 1956-67. The collection also contains board minutes; comments from students, faculty, and legislators; and newspaper stories and editorials pertaining to the college from the mid-twentieth century.
Shevlin-Hixon Oral History Tapes
In 1997 Ronald L. Gregory published Life in railroad logging camps of the Shevlin-Hixon Company, 1916-1950. In 2013 library staff digitized the recordings of his oral history interviews and published them on YouTube with Gregory's permission. The original cassette tapes are available at Barber Library.
| Interview Subject | Recording |
|---|---|
| Bill Baer, Jr. | January 12, 1996 |
| Rosanna Duberow | January 26, 1996 |
| Lois Gumpert | April 11, 1995 |
| January 14, 1996 | |
| Herb Maker | June 11, 1995 |
| June 23, 1995 | |
| Lee Maker | March 14, 1995 |
| Clint Olson, Jr. | August 12, 1994 |
| March 8, 1995 | |
| January 26, 1996 | |
| Melvin Raper | January 27, 1996 |
| Maurine Ratliff | August 5, 1995 |
| John Shevlin | December 19, 1995 |
| LaDessa Walter | January 12, 1996 |
Van Vleet Photo Collection
Wilmer Roy Van Vleet (born 1888) moved to Bend in 1916 to work for the Shevlin-Hixon Lumbre Company. After serving in World War I, he operated the photography business Elite Studios until 1929. The Deschutes Historical Museum holds glass negatives of Van Vleet's substantial photograph collection.
In 2007 COCC photography instructor George Jolokai developed 61 of these negatives, selected to reflect a diversity of places and subjects in the Bend area from approximately 1908-1930. The resulting 14x16 inch metal framed prints were displayed in Barber Library until 2018. The print collection is now on permanent loan to the Deschutes Historical Museum.