The Doug and Joyce Cox Research Collection is a predominantly photographic collection documenting the history of the Okanagan and surrounding areas. The collection consists of approximately 10,000 photographic images, 280 audio cassettes, 18 VHS cassettes, 400 maps, 20 newspaper clipping scrapbooks, approximately 1.5 metres of textual materials and 28 microfilm reels (35mm). 

Reflecting Doug Cox’s career as an historian, author, and publisher (Skookum Publications, Penticton, BC), the materials in this collection provide a compelling insight into the history and development of the Interior of British Columbia, including the Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen, Boundary, Kootenay, Nicola and Thompson regions, with some sparse coverage of outlying areas. Cox’s passion for the history of these areas brought him in contact with locals eager to share their own photographs, stories and memories of their hometowns; such was their enthusiasm that Cox would later say “the locals kept feeding me with photos and information.” The photographs collected and gathered as a course of these meetings comprise many of the photographs in this digital collection. Images from the collection are being digitized on an ongoing basis. Library users will be able to request items from the physical collection through UBC Okanagan Library’s Special Collections and Archives.