|
Government Records As the official repository of state records, the State Archives maintains and preserves the documents produced by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of South Dakota state government. Many counties, municipalities, and townships have transferred historical records to the State Archives. The Archives collection also includes copies of federal records such as censuses, land records, and files of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. State and local records are administered by the state records management system and the Records Destruction Board. State Archives staff review all records before they are approved for destruction. More than 10,000 cubic feet of records are reviewed each year and approximately 1% are selected for permanent retention in the archives collections. The State Archives only has authority to claim records if they are designated for destruction or if they are offered by the creating agency. Records are filed by series according to the agency that created them and the date they were received. Most records are kept in whatever file arrangement that existed when they arrived. Some series are well organized and have indexes or container lists, but others are disorganized, fragmentary, or poorly documented, depending on the filing practices of the creating agency. SD State Archives, 605-773-3804, fax 605-773-6041; email archref@state.sd.us |
|
|