Materials held in this collection pertain to professor emerita of archeology and anthropology Patricia "Pat" J. O’Brien and her nearly 31-year career at Kansas State University. The collection includes proposals for expanded curricula within the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, reviews of this department from the Kansas Board of Regents, and documentation of events relative to the 500th anniversary of Columbus reaching the New World. Other contents include photographs from 2005 razing of the Kansas Artificial Breeding Service buildings that were on the original site of Bluemont Central College (K-State predecessor and the first site of K-State), documentation related to the Bluemont Central College monument, recorded and scripted correspondence between Pat and her friends, her latest curriculum vitae (2004), and limited correspondence with other renowned archeologists and anthropologists. Also included are oral histories with Abby Lindsey Marlatt in September 2005.

Administrative series includes all materials related to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Department of Social Work (SASW) and information about Fulbright in Germany, as well as student research kept by Pat.

Box 3 includes research materials and manuscripts about the Mississippian culture settlement, Cahokia.

Box four contains research related to the Plains Village era site, Steed-Kisker. Since ties to Cahokia were theorized, some tie-in for Cahokia materials is possible within the materials. Given that this site is located near Kansas City, other research materials that pertain to that locality are also housed in box four, including a manuscript of a paper on Mississippian Developments in the Kansas City Locality, infrared aerial photographs of the area, and other broader topics such as Mississippian pottery and Missourian archaeology sites. Box four also includes materials related to the Mesoamerica series.

Box six contains the remaining materials related to Pat's research on a Mayan measurement system. Materials in box six include site floor plans. Box six also contains related to the Mississippian, Prehistoric Native Americans of the Great Plains, and the Pawnee & Wichita series.

Oversized floor plan of Mayan site Kabah in present-day Yucatan (Mexico).

Box ten contains archaeological research materials related to the Manhattan locality or directly tied to Kansas State University (or its predecessor: Bluemont Central College). Topics include the Seger Mastadon, fossil finds and archaeological sites in Manhattan, and broader Kansas archaeology materials. Box ten also includes materials related to Oral History.

Slide set thirteen contains photos of sites in Europe. Countries include France, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany. Set fourteen is a continuation of European slides. All boxes in set fourteen contain Germany photos. Set fifteen includes photos from Italy, Malta, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Croatia, and Ireland. Set sixteen (boxes C - F) and set seventeen (boxes A & B) pertain specifically to European archaeology.

This selection features images from Salzburg and Vienna. These photos were taken during O'Brien's travels and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy. In particular, there are photos of Hofburg Palace, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Maria Theresia Monument, Vienna City Hall, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Ankeruhr Clock.

This selection features images from Bruges, Brussels, and Leuven. These photos were taken during O'Brien's travels and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy. In particular, there are images of buildings (especially churches, as well as distinct town squares and architecture) and waterways.

This selection features images from Bath, Oxford, Salisbury, London, and from miscellaneous unidentified locations in 1976. These photos were taken during O'Brien's travels and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy. In particular, there are images of the Roman Baths, churches (including Westminster Abbey), buildings in the Oxford College campus, graveyards, streets, landscapes, and tourist locations like Big Ben and the Tower Bridge.

Biographical series contains various biographical information, including photographs of Pat O'Brien and Donna Roper and copies of Pat's CV and obituary. Contents also include miscellaneous newspaper articles and correspondence that are not associated with a dedicated project or research area, award nominations, and society/commission materials. Other materials include a collection of conference booklets and abstracts from the American Indian Workshop, Flint Hills Conference, and Plains Anthropological Conference (1969-2002).