SDSU Archives and Special Collections Preservation Assessment

FAIN: PG-258370-18

South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD 57007-0001)
Michelle Christian (Project Director: May 2017 to March 2021)

A preservation assessment for the university’s Archives and Special Collections unit, comprising 7,000 linear feet of manuscripts, records, publications, photographs, audiovisual materials, and artifacts chiefly documenting the history and culture of South Dakota. The collection holds primary sources pertaining to the state’s agriculture industry, South Dakota politicians and political affairs, and the state’s literary heritage. Highlights include the records of the South Dakota Farm Bureau and South Dakota Farmers Union, papers of Ben Reifel, the first Lakota member of the U.S. House of Representatives, papers of Congressman and Senator Thomas A. Daschle, and the writings of notable authors and poets Kathleen Norris, Audrae Visser, and David A. Evans, the latter two being former state poets laureate.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) Archives and Special Collections (ASC) is part of the Hilton M. Briggs Library on the SDSU campus. The collections in the ASC preserve not only the history of SDSU, but also the history and culture of South Dakota, development of agriculture and rural life, and American Indian life and culture. With this grant, the ASC will hire a consultant to provide a preservation needs assessment of the environmental conditions in which the collections are housed. The assessment will produce a detailed report providing guidance to improve these conditions, which when applied will increase the longevity of the collections.

Associated Products

Report of a Preservation Needs Assessment. (Report)
Title: Report of a Preservation Needs Assessment.
Author: Geller, Becky
Author: Harrell, Fraces
Abstract: The report is based on the assessment of paper-based, audiovisual, and photographic materials housed at South Dakota State University Hilton M. Briggs Library Archives & Special Collections were for preservation planning purposes by Becky Geller and Frances Harrell, Preservation Specialists for the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, MA on June 27th, 2018. The assessment evaluated the buildings and environments as they relate to the preservation needs of the materials; examined current policies, storage, and handling procedures; and assessed the general condition of materials. Observations and recommendations are based on a pre-site visit questionnaire, a full-day site visit, and discussions with Michele Christian, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian.
Date: 12/10/2018
Access Model: The report is available for viewing in the South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections reading room in the Hilton M. Briggs Library.

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections Preservation Plan. (Report)
Title: South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections Preservation Plan.
Author: Christian, Michele
Abstract: The Preservation Plan is based upon implementation of recommendations from the Report of a Preservation Needs Assessment done by Becky Geller and Frances Harrell, Preservation Specialists for the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, MA on June 27th, 2018. The plan includes that outlines steps and timelines for implementing the recommendations from the assessment. The plan addresses the pressing matters of controlling temperature and humidity, preserving audiovisual materials and digital files, and creation of policies and procedures that are in line with standard preservation practices. The plan also focuses on storage needs of fragile materials, such as large buffalo robes, rare books, and oversized documents. The plan will direct the preservation activities of the A&SC for the next five years and will result improved care of South Dakota State University's historical materials.
Date: 6/25/2019
Access Model: The plan is available for viewing in the South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections reading room in the Hilton M. Briggs Library.

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