What is the Historical Research Center?
The Historical Research Center (HRC) at California State University, Bakersfield houses the library's treasures and gives students and volunteers opportunities to participate in the preservation and collection of important historical materials.
One of the primary purposs of the HRC is to document and preserve the history of the Southern San Joaquin Valley, especially as it relates to agriculture, the oil industry, migration, indigenous cultures, and music. The HRC is actively seeking collections of historical materials in these areas and is working with a number of local groups to build these collections.
The HRC currently holds several one-of-a-kind collections, including Civil War letters from the battlefield; hand-annotated music scores from a nineteenth century French publisher and composer who worked with Maurice Ravel and others; the papers of U.S. Representatives Harlan Hagen and William Ketchum; and a 17th Century Spanish will.