This collection is made up of three different sections with materials relating to the Michigan State University Department of Geography and Barnett's research relating to the buffalo bone and mammoth ivory trade. The MSU Department of Geography series includes photocopies of materials on faculty, department history, newsletters, and Lawrence Sommers.

The buffalo bones trade series consists of Barnett's 1979 dissertation "An Historical Geography of the Nineteenth Century Buffalo Bone Commerce on the Northern Great Plains" and research materials on the buffalo bone commerce on the plains including correspondence, subject files, maps and graph charts, photocopied articles, and maps. Also included are the books "Authentic Story of the Buffalo" by M. I. McCreight; "The Mammoth and the Flood" by Henry Howorth; and "The Mammoth and Mammoth Hunting in North East Siberia" by Bassett Digby.

The mammoth ivory trade series consist of copies of journal articles and excerpts from books relating to Barnett's research on the mammoth ivory trade. Also included are correspondence, interlibrary loan cards relating to his research, and bibliography cards related to articles and publications. The final product of his research was not included with the collection.