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).

Box two contains administrative materials related to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work (SASW) including course proposals (M.A. in Anthropology and Ph.D. in Sociology), archaeological field school proposals, department faculty information, department budgets, Board of Regents program reviews, NCA Accreditation, Provost's Excellence Committee, Latin American and Ethnic Studies information, a Museum Studies program proposal, and curriculum revision. Also included in this box is student research (kept separate from Pat's research) conducted by Frederick Scott and William Reeder (Ph.D. dissertation). Box 2 also contains information about Pat's Fulbright Teaching Fellowship in Germany and other German archaeology information.

Research & Correspondence series includes unpublished materials related to various time periods and research interests. Also included are oversized illustrations, maps, and floor plans related to Cahokia, Steed-Kisker, and Mesoamerica used in publications. Research areas include Mississippian Culture, Prehistoric Native Americans of the Great Plains, Pawnee & Wichita tribes, Mesoamerica, Local History (Manhattan and surrounding communities, and other hobby topics that are non-archaeological.

Box six contains materials related to the Cahokia site that include notes related to Cahokia architecture and excavations. Box six also contains materials related to the Prehistoric Native Americans of the Great Plains, Mesoamerica, and the Pawnee & Wichita series.

Box seven contains materials related to research done on Native American sacred sites. Specifically, topics include Pawnee cosmology, animal lodges (and animals in general tribal contexts), and other symbolism and mythology within native tribes. Animal lodge research was conducted in a number of states including Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. Much of the materials related to this topic include corresponding slides and give further context to said slides.

Box nine contains materials more of a hobby-related caliber and are not archaeological, but they include Pat's miscellaneous thoughts and theories separate from her archaeological research interests. Included is research conducted on Chicago's fur industry, including a paper written on the topic and transcriptions of an interview conducted by Pat with Edward Labes. Also included in box nine is research on sweet potatoes, King Richard III, the nature and effects of work, and notes on the "Emergence of Man" meetings.

These photos were taken during Pat O'Brien's travels to Europe, North America, and South America and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy, as well as sites of particular anthropological or archeological interest. The majority of the images were taken in Europe, especially Germany and Italy. There are also a significant number of photos of England and France. Some of these images were compiled into photo presentations, which are also represented in this series, along with the photographs.

The photos feature buildings (especially churches, historical structures, and museums), streets, statues, fountains, graves, pottery, art, artifacts, ruins, waterfronts, tourist locations, festivals, wide shots of cities, landscapes, and sites of anthropological, archeological, and geological interest.

This selection features images from Gentofte and Helsingør. These photos were taken during O'Brien's travels and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy. There are a small amount of photos of the grave location of Prince Axel, Princess Margaretha, Prince Georg, and Princess Anne (outside Bernstorff Palace), a bust of Carit Etlar, and Kronborg Slot.

This selection features images from Bordeaux, Chartres, Paris, and Yvelines (including Versailles). It also features 2 photo presentations, one which features Bordeaux and Paris, and another which features Versailles and Prien, Germany. These photos were taken during O'Brien's travels and thus are mostly made up of features of the cities that she found noteworthy. There are photos of buildings (especially churches), statues, fountains, and streets. The Paris photos feature Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Notre Dame), the Eiffel Tower, the Basilica of Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, and some wide shots of the city's rooftops. Some of the Parisian photos are from 1976, some are from 2001, some are from 2007, and there are some without an identifiable year of origin. The Bordeaux images feature the Bordeaux Ampitheatre, Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux, Église Saint-Pierre, Église Saint-Antoine de Compiègne, Bordeaux Hôtel de Ville/Palais Rohan, Ponte Cailhau, Monument aux Girondins, Grosse Cloche, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Émilion vineyards, the riverfront, a Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) statue, and a carousel. The Yvelines photos feature the Château de Breteuil, Château de Versailles, and Vaux de Cernay Abbey. The Chartres photos feature Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral.