The Viola Florence Barnes Collection consists of correspondence, writings, records of the Mount Holyoke College History Department, biographial information, memorabilia, and photographs. This material chiefly relates to Barnes' work as a historian and member of the History Department at Mount Holyoke College. Most of these documents consist of letters to Barnes, 1955-1972, from colleagues and publishers concerning the possible publication of her three-volume manuscript, "Britain in the Shadow of World Revolution, 1760-1776". Correspondents include historians Carl Bridenbaugh, Lawrence Henry Gipson, John Higham, Leonard Woods Labaree, and Edmund Sears Morgan. There are also letters from representatives of university presses and other publishing firms in the United States and Great Britain, especially Princeton University Press, Rutgers University Press, Yale University Press and the American branch of Cambridge University Press. Barnes' writings in this collection include the final typed verson of the "Britain in the Shadow of World Revolution" manuscript as well as published articles and reviews by her dating from 1926-1969 and a substantial number of unpublished essays, drafts, notes, and memoranda probably dating from about 1923-1975. History Department records primarily consist of copies of letters by Barnes, 1946-1950, concerning the curriculum, course work by students, and staffing issues. The collection also include articles, sketches, and other biographical information about Barnes, 1936-1979; a diploma and two certificates dating from 1906, 1913, and 1919; and photographs, circa 1896-1964.

This collection is organized into six series:

• Correspondence
• Writings
• History Department Records
• Memorabilia
• Biographical Information
• Photographs