Ben Barber papers

The Ben Barber papers comprise nine series of story proposals, journalism and poetry notebooks, and news service copy; correspondence between Barber, fellow journalists, editors and friends; administrative files and photographs that accompany his work as a journalist and senior editor for USAID; and personal papers from his time as a student and professor. Throughout his career as a journalist Barber focused on social injustice, economic policy and conflict in developing countries and beyond.

The Biographical and Personal series contains school papers Barber wrote while he was an undergraduate at Trinity College (1962-1964) and also while at University of Hawaii at Manoa as a Gannett Fellow in 1987. Also included are resumes, professional references and personal statements, as well as application materials for fellowships. A collection of maps and ephemera is here too, along with a draft copy of Barber's unpublished memoir. Organized alphabetically by folder title.

The Correspondence series includes both professional and personal correspondence from Barber's years as an international journalist and editorial director for USAID. Organized chronologically, then alphabetically by folder title.

The Writings series contains fiction and non-fiction story proposals loosely arranged in chronological order by decade. Much of the material was published, but not all. Includes drafts with detailed hand-written notes, as well as Compass and Observer News Service copy of articles that were published. Barber did create some folders and groupings of articles in different stages of the writing process, and in a few cases included the final published clipping. These are kept together when possible. Organized chronologically, then alphabetically by folder title.

The Poetry series includes five small notebooks that also double as address books and journals, as well as small pamphlets, books of published poetry, and single sheets of unpublished materials in dated folders. Organized chronologically, then alphabetically by folder title.

The Teaching and Workshop Materials series contains materials from courses and workshops Barber taught in the United States and Africa, including Georgetown and George Mason universities. Organized chronologically, then alphabetically by folder title.

The series on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) documents Barber’s time there as a senior writer and editorial director for the FrontLines newsletter through notes, articles and photos. Organized chronologically, then alphabetically by folder title.

The Photographs series includes both professional photographs that document Barber’s work as a journalist as well as personal photos. Most are copies on printer paper. Organized alphabetically by folder title.

The Journalism Notebooks series includes 100-plus small notebooks Barber used while on location. The notebooks include source information and outlines for news feature that appeared in various publications. Notes on stories from Algeria, Burma, Calucutta, Cambodia, Chad, Delhi, Ecuador, Haiti, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Romania, Saigon, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Western Sahara, and other places are included. Organized chronologically.

The Published Materials and Press Clippings series contains publications and press clippings from the newspapers and magazines Barber reported for, including the Washington Times and USA Today, as well as the magazines The World and I, The American Legion, and Omni. Scrapbooks with photocopies of clippings are included here as well. Organized chronologically.